Talisay City Hall (Photo courtesy of Talisay Public Information Office)
MANILA – Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) Chairperson, Undersecretary Elpidio Jordan Jr., has urged local government units (LGUs) to emulate Talisay City in their pro-poor initiatives after it earned back-to-back awards from two separate government agencies.
Talisay City was accorded the PCUP’s Natatanging Gawad Lingkod Maralita Award in the LGU category for its firm commitment to providing much needed service to urban poor and informal settler families (ISFs) and giving them easier access to government programs for poverty reduction.
The city also received recognition from the Commission on Population and Development in Region 7 after it emerged as the Most Outstanding LGU in the Implementation of Philippine Population Development Program (PPDP) through the component programs: Adolescent Health and Development (AHD), Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning (RPFP) and Population and Development (POPDEV) despite the coronavirus pandemic.
It was honored as the Most Functional Teen Center within the city through effective demand-generating activities, referral pathways and information dissemination to young people and ranked second in the Most Active Peer Educator’s Organization through the active involvement of Pag-Asa Youth Association of the Philippines Talisay Chapter.
“The awards given to Talisay (City) only proves that we should heed the call of our beloved President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Romualdez Marcos Jr. to unite under his governance so that we may achieve the prosperity that has long eluded us in the past years,” Jordan said in a statement.
Talisay City mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, for his part, said he was “happy” that their efforts in assisting the urban poor paid off.
“I'm very happy and proud that the City of Talisay was chosen as the recipient of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor’s (PCUP) Natatanging Gawad Lingkod Maralita Award (LGU category).... We were chosen among all other LGUs in the entire Visayas Region this year,” Gullas said.
Gullas cited their LGU’s “good implementation” of asset reform programs and urban development projects that have been implemented.
“This award signifies unity of every sector in the Talisay City Government to ensure that our projects and programs are well-implemented despite the challenges brought by the pandemic. I’m very thankful to everyone who worked hard to implement our programs for the welfare of the Talisanons,” he added.
Talisay City is a third class component city in the province of Cebu.
Created in 1986, the PCUP promotes and protects the rights of the urban poor, including informal settler families.
The PCUP responds to issues on urban poverty such as demolitions, reclamation and housing and provides assistance to the poor. (PNA)
