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3 QC programs among Galing Pook Awards finalists

By Marita Moaje

September 20, 2021, 4:38 pm

<p><strong>CITY GARDEN.</strong> Residents of Barangay Immaculate Conception in Quezon City tend to their garden, the Immacon Farm, in this undated photo. The urban farm is part of the GrowQC program, which sets up farms for a food-secure and self-reliant city. <em>(Photo courtesy of QC Government Facebook)</em></p>

CITY GARDEN. Residents of Barangay Immaculate Conception in Quezon City tend to their garden, the Immacon Farm, in this undated photo. The urban farm is part of the GrowQC program, which sets up farms for a food-secure and self-reliant city. (Photo courtesy of QC Government Facebook)

MANILA – Three programs of the Quezon City government that address the needs of constituents amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic are among the 22 finalists for the Galing Pook Awards 2021.

Other notable finalists from 280 entries submitted by local government units (LGUs) nationwide are the Manila Innovative and Inclusive Covid-19 Response; Go Bike Project of Bugallon, Pangasinan; and the Call DDoc: Your Virtual Doctor of Davao de Oro.

The Galing Pook Awards, launched in 1993, gives recognition to outstanding LGU programs that show innovation and excellence in local governance.

The programs must have involved or engaged processes within an LGU (barangay, municipality, city, or province) even if the program might have been initiated independently or jointly; must have been in operation for at least one year before the deadline of submission on June 30, 2021; and must have verifiable and significant results.

It suspended the awards last year but relaunched in February 2021 to recognize LGUs that showed “adaptiveness, innovation, resiliency, and excellence”.

The three QC finalists are the Quezon City Human Milk Bank (QCHMB), Kabahagi Center for Children with Disabilities, and GrowQC Food Security Program.

The QCHMB started in 2015 to help end preventable deaths, especially among vulnerable newborns, by providing them with lifesaving mother’s milk.

The QCHMB and QC Health Department regularly collect donated human milk from lying-in clinics and pick up bags of milk from screened private donors.

As of August, the QCHMB has donated over 979,624 milliliters of pasteurized milk to 5,023 beneficiaries, not only from QC but also to as far as Mindanao.

The Kabahagi Center helps children with disabilities through community-based rehabilitation programs like therapy services, livelihood training, and educational workshops.

Other services are telemedicine, telecoaching, and e-skwela (online schooling) for children with disabilities and their families.

In April 2020, GrowQC: Kasama ka sa Pag-unlad sa Pagkain, Kabuhayan at Kalusugan Food Security Program was launched as the Covid-19 pandemic affected mobility, businesses and economy, and caused loss of jobs.

As of May 2021, the GrowQC program has distributed 52,374 starter kits and seedlings to 37 communities, initiated urban gardening, and provided the city’s unemployed and displaced workers with livelihood and employment.

Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed gratitude for the recognition as the city continues to provide social services despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

She attributes the success of its programs to residents and the contributions of stakeholders.

“We are fortunate to have an active citizenry. Everyone is ready to heed the call to action and help their fellow citizens. The success of these programs, among other programs of the city, is truly an inspiration to continue abiding by the pillars of our governance philosophy, which is inclusivity,” Belmonte said in a statement.

The awarding ceremony will be held in October, which also marks the 30th year of enactment of the Local Government Code. (PNA)

 

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