The municipal government of Luna has started donating lots to the different government line agencies for the construction of their provincial field offices to ensure that services will be rendered to the province.
Luna Mayor Josephine Bangsil presented during the Joint Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council here last week, Municipal Resolution No. 84 series of 2017 providing for the allocation and donation of lots to national line agencies in the province from the Municipal Reservation site of Luna for the construction of their provincial field offices.
Bangsil said the lots for awarding are portions of a classified alienable or disposable lands of the public domain as part of the extension area for the town site of the Municipality of Luna containing an area of 402.987 hectares situated in Barangay Turod and San Gregorio declared thru Presidential Decree No. 1088 signed by former President Ferdinand Marcos.
The mayor explained that this move by the Luna municipal government and the province of Apayao to award lots to institutional sites will encourage agencies to set up office of expand their space to provide services to the people of Apayao.
To avail of a lot, the concerned agency has to comply with some requirements including a request letter addressed to the municipal mayor and a site development plan for the establishment of the office.
The municipal government has already allocated, awarded and designated lots to some agencies thru Sangguniang Bayan resolutions.
Governor Elias Bulut Jr has been urging government agencies to service the province of Apayao which has been left unattended in terms of development in the past years being the youngest province of the Cordillera. He strongly believes that by bringing in the different government offices particularly the frontline services nearer to the people, the dreams of a progressive Apayao will be realized.
During the RDC-RPOC meeting, Bulut raised the issue on the absence of some government offices still in the province. He asked the RDC to pass a resolution endorsing request of national line agencies to set up office in the province to the National Economic and Development Authority and to copy furnished the Department of Budget and Management.
At the moment, there are only more than 20 line agencies and law enforcement agencies servicing the province. Most of these offices are located in the capital town of Luna.
Last week, the Civil Service Commission – Cordillera organized the Anti-Red Tape Act Caravan – Public Service Day at the Luna Municipal Grounds where seven frontline agencies from the Cordillera and Cagayan regional offices as well as Kalinga participated. The caravan serviced less than a hundred people only due to limited time.
Bulut said that if government agencies would be based in the province, they could be servicing more people at any given time. | PIA
