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In the spirit of Bayanihan, the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) extended financial and in-kind assistance to the victims of flooding in Cagayan on November 22, 2020.

On behalf of Gov. Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III, Executive Assistant IV Justo Orros III and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office turned over to Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba the La Union’s financial assistance amounting to Php200,000.00 to the province and Php100,000.00 was also turned over to the towns of Baggao, Enrile, Aparri and Santo Niño in Cagayan which are requiring additional relief assistance as per the province’s assessment. PGLU’s financial assistance was approved by virtue of Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution No. 1252-2020. Php100,000.00 was also turned over to the province from the Municipality of San Juan, La Union.

Through the PGLU’s “With Love, La Union; Sharing our Blessings Program,” donations from residents, PGLU employees, and La Union stakeholders were gathered and turned over on the same day. A six-wheeler truck contained assorted goods and water, medicines, hygiene kits, and other relief goods.

The Province of Cagayan was gravely hit by flooding as an effect of the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses. True to the province’s name, La Union gives high regards to unity. Thus, we continue to give assistance to other provinces in need.

The La Union Provincial Jail (LUPJ) and Provincial Health Office in partnership with the Department of Health Center for Health Development – I and Philippine Business for Social Progress spearheaded the Tuberculosis (TB) Caravan at the LUPJ Compound, City of San Fernando, La Union on November 20, 2020.
A total of 87 Persons Deprived of Liberty and 43 LUPJ personnel underwent screening of presumptive TB and chest x-ray. Additional activities also included blood chemistry, cholesterol screening, guidance and counselling session.
The TB Caravan strategy brings mobile TB diagnostic and treatment services to jails helping address potential barriers to patients’ access to these services. Through the application of symptom screening and the use of chest X-ray, the caravan aims to detect missed TB cases from the community in vulnerable or high-risk populations or groups. It makes possible on-site same-day diagnosis. Treatment can then be initiated immediately in collaboration with the local directly observed treatment, short-course facility.

Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Staff assess their mental health during the workshop sessions of the Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being Seminar-Workshop initiated by the SP on November 18 and 19, 2020 at Cong. Eriguel Hall, SP Building, Provincial Capitol, City of San Fernando, La Union.

The seminar workshop aims to promote awareness about mental health issues and on how to handle work-related stress brought about by the CoViD-19 pandemic.

Amidst the CoViD -19 pandemic, the Office of the Governor -Environment and Natural Resources (OPG-ENRU) joins the Lower Amburayan River System-Water Quality Management Area (LARS-WQMA) river clean-up at Sudipen, La Union on November 18, 2020.

The activity was conducted in collaboration with the members of the Governing Board namely Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environment and Managemetn Bureau; Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office; Municipality of Sudipen and its five Barangays covering the lower Amburayan river (Ipet, Poblacion, Old central, Ilocano and Namaltugan); and the PNP-Sudipen.

The activity with the theme “Let Our Rivers Heal Too” is a part of the LARS-WQMA sustainability plan. As a result, 39 participants were able to collect 205 kilograms of collectible solid waste considered as residuals such as plastic bottles and rappers, cans, and worn out shoes and clothes. Further, some metals/car part were also noticed. The waste collected were then segregated and handed to the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Sudipen for proper disposal.

LARS-WQMA is being managed by the established Governing Board/council covering three LGUs in La Union and six LGUs in Ilocos Sur chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and co-chaired by both mentioned provinces and was created to effectively manage the Amburayan River and its resources. Thus, the clean-up activity is a part of the interdependent support to the WQMA.

Board Member Maria Annabelle S. de Guzman, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Chair of the Committee on Public Works and Utilities called for a policy orientation meeting at the Conference Room of the La Union Police Provincial Office, Camp Diego Silang, City of San Fernando, La Union on November 18, 2020 to discuss matters pertaining to the implementation of the anti-road obstructions and road warning safety devices ordinances as well as the distribution on the Provincial Ordinance Violation Receipt to Chiefs of Police of the 20 Local Government Units of La Union.

QUIRINO DAY. The Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) headed by Gov. Pacoy along with Vice Gov. Mario Ortega and Board Members Paolo Ortega, Nancy Bacurnay, Christian Rivera, Gerard Ostrea, Frank Sibuma, and Abraham Rimando, led the commemoration of the 130th birth anniversary of the late President Elpidio Quirino today, November 16, 2020, as they offered wreath before his iconic portrait displayed at the Provincial Capitol, City of San Fernando, La Union.
Mayor Francisco Angelito Fontanilla and Vice Mayor Divine Fontanilla led the celebration in Bacnotan, where a barangay and an elementary school are named after the late President.
In Caba, where a Quirino statue now stands, Vice Mayor Ronnie Mangaser represented Mayor Philip Crispino in leading the wreath-laying ceremony.
In Pres. Elpidio Quirino National High School in Agoo, LGU officials led by Mayor Stefanie Anne Eriguel and faculty members commemorated the birth of the president.
Born to an Agoo-native mother, Quirino spent his childhood in Aringay and served as a grade school teacher in Caba, before entering politics and eventually becoming the nation’s sixth president in 1948-1953.

LUNG CANCER, DIABETES AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. Nurses Charizza Ringor and Blesie Mayo discuss ways on how to prevent Lung Cancer and Diabetes in Bacnotan District Hospital (BDH) Out Patient Department on November 13, 2020 as part of BDH’s continuing advocacy campaign on the leading causes of mortality. They mentioned the importance of healthy lifestyle in combating such diseases.

The Office of the Governor -Environment and Natural Resources (OPG-ENRU) conducted mangrove assessment in Balaoan, Bacnotan and San Juan (BalBaSan) area in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Conservation and Development Division together with Office of the Provincial Agriculturist -Fishery Division in collaboration with the concerned Local Government Units on November 11-13, 2020.

The activity is a part of the BALBASAN Marine Protected Area Network’s (MPAN) three years sustainability plan. As a result, the group were able to identify eight mangrove species in the barangays of Balaoan (Paraoir and Almeida) while both the Municipalities of Bacnotan (Galongen Quirino and Baroro) and San Juan (Talogtog, Taboc and Ili Norte) both have seven mangrove species. Identified mangrove species included; Bakawan lalaki, Bakawan babae, Pedada, Nipa, Palaypay, Pototan, Lagiwliw, Buta – buta, Bakawan bato, Bungalon, Kalapini, Culasi, Tinduk-tindukan, Tawalis and Bantigue. All in all, there were 15 mangrove species found in the BALBSAN MPAN.

Mangroves are considered the most important components of the coastal ecosystem. The need to conduct mangrove area assessment plays an important role not only to have a baseline data for policy recommendation but mainly as foundation for the conservation and protection purposes.