By Ace Sapit
CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines — More than 150 residents of Barangay Wawa here availed themselves of various government services during the “Barangay Information Caravan with One-Stop Shop of Government Services” held on May 27.
The activity was spearheaded by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Oriental Mindoro to bring essential government information and frontline services closer to the community.
According to PIA Oriental Mindoro, led by Information Center Manager Gene Ace Sapit, the program aims to make government services more accessible, especially for residents who experience difficulty traveling to government offices.
Through the caravan, government services, information, and programs that address the daily needs of the public were delivered directly to the barangay, Sapit said.
Participating agencies included the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) together with the Small Business Corporation, Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Agricultural Program Coordinating Office, Philippine National Police (PNP) Oriental Mindoro Police Provincial Office and Calapan City Police Station, as well as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The agencies provided consultations, information about their programs and various frontline services to residents. The police also offered free haircuts, while the DA distributed free vegetable seeds.
Meanwhile, the Barangay Government of Wawa expressed gratitude to the PIA, saying the initiative greatly helped bring government services closer to the people and allowed residents to immediately address some of their concerns without needing to travel to the city or other government offices.
“Kami’y lubos na nagpapasalamat naman sa PIA dahil sa unang pagkakataon ay pinagsama-sama nila ang mga ahensya ng pamahalaan upang dalhin dine sa aming barangay. Sa ngalan po ng aming Kapitana ay lubos ang aming pasasalamat at kahit na malayo kami sa bayan ay pinuntahan niyo po kami,” Barangay Councilor Gemma Carena Magsino said. (AS/JBG/ PIA MIMAROPA-Oriental Mindoro)
