PGLU Extends Help to Barangay Pagdalagan

Following the declaration of Barangay Pagdalagan, City of San Fernando, La Union to undergo Enhanced Community Quarantine because of the spike in its CoViD-19 cases, the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) turnovers 785 packs of relief goods on December 3, 2020.
Each relief pack contains either two kilos of rice, two small cans of corned beef, one can of meat loaf, and one can of sardines or two kilos of rice, four cups of noodles, three cans of sardines, one can of corned beef, one can of tuna, and four bottles of water.
From 10 active cases in December 2, there are only two remaining confirmed cases in the said barangay as of December 10, 2020.
The PGLU continues to support its component Local Government Units in their fight against CoViD-19 in order to achieve a Stronger La Union, a province worth living in.

La Union’s Fairest 2020 Launched to Boost Local Economy

To build the local economy and help the local community, the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) supported the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 1 and Provincial Office in spearheading the staging of the 19th La Union’s Fairest 2020 on December 3, 2020 at the CSI the City Mall, San Fernando, La Union.
There are 40 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)/exhibitors participating in La Union’s biggest trade fair showcasing the local products of La Union. Among the participants under food items are Annie’s fruits; Berg’s Food Products; DOS Tacotitos; Familiar Table Artisan Chocolate & Café; Gem’s Empanada Ilocandia; Gerry’s Shawarma and Kitchenette; Halog West Producers Cooperative; Honeydukes Creamery; Jaypee’s Bakeshop; La Union Entrepreneurs Association, Inc.; Lomboy Farms; Lugaw Republic; Sagat Crust Food House; Shake D’ Pulp Food; SossyBites; and Uncle Tom Food Product / Nacionales Bibingka. Non-food participants are Bauang Crochet Association Inc.; D’ Seno’s Creations; Designer’s Corner; EDC Paper House; Elyu Bayong and Beyond; Floredelz Knit and Croc; Glamorosa Enterprises; Kultur Siak Enterprise; Northway Arts and Crafts; Red Clay Pagdamilian; RP Lucina’s Loom Weaving; Trish & Trinh Fashion; ARCS’ Antiques and Wood Arts; D – Four Z Furniture; Djon Rustic Wood Furniture; J & S Furniture & Handicrafts; Renzekiel Woodcraft; Rio’s Handicraft Manufacturing; Yogyog Handicrafts and Antiques; You and Me Wood Carvings & Native Arts; Family Nature’s Garden; and Jo’s Ornamental Plant Trading features furnitures, wood crafts and plants.
On behalf of Gov. Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III, Executive Assistant Mr. Justito Orros III delivered the Governor’s message. “The CoViD-19 pandemic is one of the most impactful game changers and our duty requires us to be more dynamic and innovative to transform our service to reach out to the public. The La Union’s Fairest reflects on our initiative on transformative governance, solidified La Union not only for tourist destinations but also an Investment Hub. We are inspired to think out of the box. The MSMEs will rise above the challenges of CoViD-19 to jumpstart local economy to hope in a promising future,” he said.
DTI Regional Director Grace Falgui-Baluyan, thanked the PGLU for the continuous support to the business sector for economic prosperity and for its support to MSMEs who are trying to bounce from the pandemic.
The 19th La Union’s Fairest 2020 will run from December 3-31, 2020 and the One Town One Product Hub Digisite will be launched on December 18, 2020 also at the CSI Mall.

PGLU Imposes Mandatory Registration of Hog Raisers

The Provincial Government of La Union stepped up its actions against the African Swine Fever (ASF) through the enactment of the Provincial Ordinance No. 256-2020 entitled Mandatory Registration of Hog Raisers and or Backyard Farm Owners in all Barangays in the Province of La Union and Requiring all Barangays to Maintain and Regularly Update List of Registered Hog Raisers and or Backyard Farm Owners.

This was done after the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian confirmed the emergence of ASF on December 3, 2020 during the 64th regular session of the 22nd Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) in 12 component LGU’s in La Union whose hogs, particularly from backyard farms and one commercial farm of 680 raisers were infected with the virus and culled hundreds of pigs.

Under the ordinance, the barangay officials were tasked to implement the mandatory registration of commercial and backyard hog raisers in their areas of jurisdiction to ensure proper documentation.

Under the ongoing mandatory registration of hog raisers, individuals and companies are required to declare their hog raising activity and the number of hogs that they are taking care of for monitoring purposes.

The OPVet disclosed that immediate disinfection of the hog raising areas were done in affected barangays while infected pigs were culled.

The OPVet committed to monitor ASF in La Union together with other government agencies and local government offices to ensure that no additional hogs will be affected by the virus.

22nd SP REPORTS LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR CY 2020

The 22nd Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) headed by Vice-Governor Mario Eduardo C. Ortega generally fared well and can be considered exceptional in terms of achieving its set targets for 2020 as well as in comparison to the accomplishments for 2019, despite the challenges of the National and Global Health Emergency brought by the CoViD-19 pandemic.

A total of 54 regular sessions were conducted including one out-of-hall session and three special sessions which is 100% completion from the target number of sessions as per rule provided under RA 7160 that the sanggunian shall conduct a session once a week. Due to the imposition of community quarantine, the SP, headed by Vice Gov. Mario Eduardo C. Ortega, adopted the hybrid set-up in conducting its sessions using various e-governance applications and online applications, where board members can attend sessions via online video conferencing. Said modality was approved by the SP through an amendment of its Internal Rules of procedure under SP Resolution 476-2020.

In the Order and Calendar of Business or SP Agenda, a total of 988 communications, municipal ordinances, memos, draft resolutions and ordinances were received, calendared and were appropriately referred and/or tackled during the plenary session. From the items in the agenda, a total of 715 items were referred to appropriate standing committees for their study and recommendation. For items or issues arising from Privilege Speeches, Unassigned Business and other matters, a total of 59 referrals were endorsed to the appropriate lead committees as compared to the 99 referrals that were endorsed in 2019.

From January to December 2020, with a total of 905 referrals, the 22nd SP had acted on a total of 826 referrals for a 91.27% accomplishment rate based on the target for the said period. Meanwhile, there are only 78 referrals with pending action, that are currently referred to the appropriate committees.

A total of 44 privilege speeches of varied issues and concerns were delivered during plenary sessions of the year 2020.

One of the major final outputs of the SP is the enactment of timely and relevant policies in the form of ordinances and resolutions. There are 73 ordinances enacted by the 22nd Sangguniang Panlalawigan for 2020, which is a 331.8% accomplishment rate compared to the target of 22 ordinances for the 2020. In comparison with the accomplishment for 2019 of 41 ordinances, the 22nd SP is a plus-32 due to the ordinances passed related to issues brought by the CoViD-19 pandemic and other relevant issues that emerged during the imposition of the nationwide community quarantine.

Meanwhile, there are 22 ordinances enacted that are aligned and/or supportive of the vision and the initiatives of the province. Six ordinances fall under the Economic Dynamism and Competitiveness sector, 12 under the Resilient Communities sector and four under the Organizational Accountability and Governance Sector.

In terms of the approval of resolutions, there are a total of 1,426 approved resolutions during the year 2020, which is 285.2% accomplishment rate compared to the target for 2020 which is 500 resolutions. From the approved resolutions, there were a total of 37 resolutions that were directly aligned and/or supportive to the vision through the approved strategic initiatives.

As to the workings of the Standing Committees, a total of 1,677 committee meetings and 316 committee hearings were conducted and 631 committee reports were submitted by the 26 regular standing committees of the 22nd SP.

SP sessions open to the public accommodated a total of 88 guests for CY 2020, compared to the 208 guests accommodated for the year 2019. The steep decline of guest attendance is attributed to the CoViD-19 protocols.

Due to the shift of priorities upon the declaration of the state of national health emergency, the SP remains committed in enacting policies focused on CoViD-19 legislations, especially on response and recovery-related policies without taking for granted other vital legislations.

SP LEADS MANGROVE PLANTING IN BAUANG ECO-PARK

The Office of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) in partnership with the Local Government Unit of Bauang, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Unit, Philippine National Police Bauang, Bauang Fishing Group Consumers Cooperative and other stakeholders conducted a coastal clean-up and mangrove tree planting at the Bauang Bakawan Eco-Tourism Park on November 28, 2020.

300 mangrove seedlings were planted on a 300 sq.m. area of the Bauang mangrove forest. The Bauang Bakawan, found in a 162.42-hectare area in Barangays Pudoc and Parian Oeste of Bauang, La Union, is the house of 12 mangrove species that serve as protection from natural calamities and as livelihood of communities in the area. Likewise, it is a budding eco-tourism destination in the province particularly for nature lovers.

In her message, Mayor Menchie L. De Guzman said that more than a beautiful and fulfilling experience, planting bakawan is a mission to give back what is due to mother nature. She also informed that programs and projects are already laid out to improve the area that will eventually benefit the community and to realize their dreams of an improved quality of life.

The next task, the Mayor said, is to monitor the progress of the activity. The participants committed to return to the planting site to nurture what was been planted and the mangrove forest as a whole.

SP Secretary Donato A. Rimando explained that the coastal clean-up and mangrove tree planting activities are some of the components of the strategic initiatives of the Office of the SP coined as “LegislaTour Level-up.” These activities aim to provide developmental interventions, such as the tree planting activity and coastal clean-up and periodic progress monitoring in the area as the counterpart of the office in order to become a promising Agri-Tourism site. It is also the office’s contribution to the attainment of the La Union’s vision to be the “Heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025.”

PROVINCIAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD CONVENES

The Provincial Solid Waste Management Board (PSWMB) convenes on November 26, 2020 via video conference to discuss the status of implementation of the 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plans of La Union; review the draft ordinance on the prohibition of single-use plastic in La Union; present the proposed special waste management system; and give updates on the waste-to-energy projects in La Union.

Provincial Director Virgilio P. Sison of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, vice-chairperson of the board, presided the meeting. Members of the board were mayors of component city and municipalities, representatives of 1st and 2nd district of La Union, Chairman of Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Committee on Environment and Energy, Chairman of SP on Committee on Health, Provincial Health Officer, Provincial General Services Officer, Provincial Engineer, Provincial Budget Officer, Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer, Department of Science and Technology Provincial Director, Department of Trade and Industry Provincial Director, La Union Police Provincial Office Provincial Director, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University President, Commission on Higher Education Regional Director, Chairman of the Board of La Union Vibrant Women, Inc., HMDC Manager, and President of Junkshop Association of City of San Fernando.

Representative from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau Region 1, Ms. Gemmalyn De Guzman, presented the results of monitoring of implementation of solid waste management plans in La Union. Most of the LGUs are compliance with the various sections of the plan.

Representative of Office of the Provincial Governor-Environment and Natural Resources Unit presented the draft ordinance on the prohibition of single-use plastics and the proposed special waste management system for households and Local Government Unit-owned facilities.

Representative from Satrap Power Corporation was also invited to present the updates on the proposed waste-to-energy project in Bacnotan, La Union. Representative from the Ecological Solid Waste Solutions Incorporation was also invited to present their solid waste technology during the meeting.

The Provincial Government of La Union continues to initiate projects with partners for the conservation of the environment in La Union.

PGLU CONDUCTS BASIC SCUBA DIVING TRAINING

With the aim of protecting and conserving the coastal and marine habitat in the province, the Office of the Governor- Environment and Natural Resources Unit (OPG-ENRU) conducted a five -day Basic Scuba Diving Training at Ocean Deep Training Center, San Francisco, City of San Fernando, La Union on October 12-13, 2020 for the academics discussions and film viewing and November 24-26, 2020 for the water works series of actual diving.

The activity was participated in by eight staff from the City of San Fernando and the Municipal Coastal Local Government Units (LGUs) of Bacnotan, San Juan, Bauang and Agoo, La Union as well as staff from the ENRU and Office of the Provincial Agriculturist Fishery Division.

The need for local divers is essential to strengthen local staff capacity underwater. This will ensure their valuable assistance in the conduct of coastal resource assessment, monitoring and evaluation conducted by Department of Environment and Natural Resources / Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Coastal Resource Assessment is used to evaluate the performance of program and/or projects set up by the government in managing the coastal resources. Its goal is to improve current and future management.

Moreover, improving the local staff capability will give them the opportunity to visualize the actual scenario under water and to recognize and confirm the need for management actions that were common in nature such as active management intervention, stronger enforcement, organizational strengthening and others. This will also encourage cooperation among stakeholders and prompt management response.

To capacitate all coastal LGUs in the province, the OPG-ENRU plans to conduct again another batch for the CY 2021. Trained coastal LGUs also ensure their active participation in any coastal management and develop programs, projects and activities.

PGLU Augments Relief Packs for Luna

With the directive of Gov. Pacoy, the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) took immediate action in the request of the Municipality of Luna for an augmentation of 768 relief packs on November 25, 2020 due to the increasing number of CoVid-19 cases in the municipality.
Representatives from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Provincial Engineering Office and General Services Office turned over the relief packs to the Local Government Unit which immediately distributed the goods to affected families in Barangays Alcala, Salcedo, Barrientos, Santo Domingo Sur and Magallanes.
As of November 25, 2020, the Municipality of Luna has a total of 25 active cases with the Barangays Alcala and Salcedo on strict lockdown.
The PGLU continues to give support to all LGUs in the fight against CoVid-19 in order to build a #StrongerLaUnion, a province worth living in.