Parañaque City Mayor and the Regional Peace and Order Council – National Capital Region (RPOC-NCR) Chairperson Hon. Edwin L. Olivarez hosted the kick-off ceremony in NCR of the nationwide simultaneous conduct of the Duterte Legacy: Barangayanihan Caravan Towards National Recovery event held on September 30, 2021, at Palanyag Gymnasium, Barangay San Dionisio, Parañaque City.

Aligned with the national government’s commitment to serve the public with “Tapang at Malasakit,” the caravan, organized by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine National Police (PNP), aims to bring the basic services of various regional line agencies (RLAs) closer to the people.

In his welcome message, Mayor Olivarez thanked the national government for continuously supporting all local government units in NCR in delivering essential services even in the midst of the ever-present pandemic.

Mayor Olivarez also expressed their readiness to heed the President’s order, saying, “hindi po tao ang lalapit sa gobyerno, bagkus ang gobyerno ang lalapit sa sambayanan, kung kaya naman kahapon ay aming isinagawa ang 3rd Quarter Meeting ng RPOC-NCR, kung saan aming tinalakay ang iba’t ibang mga napapanahong isyu at solusyon upang mapanatili ang kaayusan at kapayapaan sa rehiyon.”

On the part of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya emphasized that the administration has always given priority to the delivery of efficient public service to the people, including initiatives to promote and maintain peace and order in our communities. Through this caravan, Usec. Malaya hopes to apprise attendees of the government’s many accomplishments.

One of the beneficiaries of the government’s assistance programs, Ms. Rosemarie Tabora, shared her experience as a beneficiary of the skills training and financial assistance programs offered by TESDA, which helped her put up a milk tea business and an online bake shop. She also participated in the massage and housekeeping training courses in addition to the bread and pastry production course she first took, allowing her to augment her income even further.

The PNP National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), AFP Joint Task Force NCR (JTF-NCR), and the regional offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), as well as PhilHealth all set up service booths during the caravan.

The kick-off ceremony was also attended by DILG Parañaque City Director John Visca, DOLE-NCR Regional Director Atty. Sarah Buena Mirasol, TESDA-NCR Regional Director Florencio Sunico, Jr., DPWH-NCR Regional Director Eric A. Ayapana, and District Director PBGEN Jimili Macaraeg of the Southern Police District.

The launching of the caravan in Parañaque City is just the beginning of this initiative to make government services more accessible to the people, as the same serbisyo caravans will subsequently be brought to the other cities, municipalities and barangays in NCR.