#NoMovementSunday in General Santos City ends

ON THE second Sunday after the lifting of #NoMovementSunday in General Santos, we went out to meet some people. I would say these individuals are remarkably interesting and have challenging ideas. After the dynamic meeting, we headed out to the Oval Plaza with the newly completed Persons with Disabilities (PWD)-friendly perimeter pathways.

We admired the site and sight, seeing that so many people, of all ages, congregated at the Plaza! It was a fun time for the regular onlookers – that’s us!

Children were playing and sweating; families were on picnics complete with the accoutrements; some brought amplifiers; we saw bikers, skaters, runners, joggers, all sorts of people. It was festive; it was merry!

You can imagine for a split second how people have longed to go out on Sundays and enjoy a spacious area together with their families. It was good for the heart to see all these folks having a good time.

As we walked around the pathways which is called the Walkable Government Center project of the city government of General Santos, a project implemented by the City Engineer’s Office in partnership with the General Santos City Tourism Council and United Architects of the Philippines, we also saw kids relieving themselves by the wall of a building located by the plaza.

We couldn’t help but feel sad and thoughtful that had the project included comfort rooms, even one that will charge for a reasonable fee, people would feel more comfortable while enjoying the place. Clean and well-maintained comfort rooms always provide convenience to users. Imagine how the park goers would feel if clean comfort rooms were available for them! It will be an added delight!

Perhaps the next project would be the construction of public comfort rooms? We can’t do away with personal necessities, especially if we’re having a picnic in the area.

Moving forward, we also sat by the stage, just to appreciate the throng of people from a vantage point. We were again sad when we saw the condition of the stage up close. The ceilings are torn, and the structure is in bad shape. What could have happened to this structure that always mounted official and formal programs of the city government? Why is it in a status of disrepair? It’s so sad to look at it.

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In another news, the interview with Engr. Randy Pastolero, Executive Assistant to the Mayor for Power and Utilities of the city government of Iloilo in “Woman Talk with Belinda Sales Canlas” over 98.3 Home Radio General Santos and carried live via our FB Page on October 16, 2021, was very instructive and insightful.

Iloilo City formed Task Force Alambre and implemented Executive Order (EO) 145 (An Executive Order Reconstituting Iloilo City Task Force Alambre). EO 145 spearheaded by the Public Utilities Group of Iloilo (PUGI) set out to undertake major clearing, cleaning, housekeeping, and improvement of the city’s aesthetics while ensuring that safety standards are complied with. The massive program targets the so-called spaghetti wires, cable and telco wires, and unutilized posts contributing to unsafe condition.

The extraordinary thing about PUGI is the Bayanihan spirit that has been developed and forged among members that motivate them to own the program.

I am hoping that this undertaking will be replicated in General Santos. I am also hoping that when I tell the linemen whose work are so disorganized – just look up from the streets – they would no longer say, “Di sa amin yan, Ma’am” because it really, really sucks to be told so.

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DSWD News

Officials from the Sustainable Livelihood Program-Regional Program Management Office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office 12 actively monitored associations and beneficiaries following acceptance of their respective livelihood programs.

Livelihood assistance grant beneficiary Sheryll Carbon used the P15,000 grant to expand her balot business. From a small stall outside their house, she expanded into a balbacua eatery in the afternoons, and chicken barbeque and lechon at night. For additional income, she produces the local spiced vinegar called “Sinamak.”

Meanwhile, the Lagao Gasa Sustainable Livelihood Program Association of General Santos City continues to operate along the highway by selling landscaping products like stones and plants. They also offer landscaping services.

“We need to monitor and check the beneficiaries of our programs to see their progress and the impact of the programs on their livelihood,” Promotive Services Division Chief Jackiya Lao concluded.

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Writer can be reached at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Twitter @ShilohRuthie./PN