GENERAL SANTOS CITY — The provincial government of South Cotabato has allocated around PHP29 million for the implementation of its newly-expanded Barangay Development Investment Program (BDIP).
Jerry Gamo, South Cotabato Barangay Affairs Unit chief, said Monday at least 14 barangays in the province will benefit from the initiative, which is a component of the local government’s Barangay Support Program.
These are barangays San Jose, Punong Grande and El Nonok in Banga town; Edwards and Datal Dlanag in Tboli; Teresita in Sto. Nino; Lamian in Surallah; Lamfugon, Takunel, Luhib, Lahit and Upper Maculan in Lake Sebu; Poblacion in Tantangan; and Koronadal Proper in Polomolok.
Gamo said the recipients qualified for the 2018 rollout of the program following a series of assessment commissioned by the provincial government.
Under the program, he said that the 14 barangays will receive some P22 million worth of projects under the Materials and Infrastructure Support for Barangay Development component, and P7 million under the Rural Water Supply component.
“These projects were identified and eventually approved based on the needs of the recipeint-barangays,” he said.
The recipients of the water system projects are barangays San Jose and El Nonok in Banga, Edwards in Tboli and Sitio Cajanedo of Barangay Teresita in Sto. Nino, he said.
Gamo said the Materials and Infrastructure Support projects are composed of two-story multipurpose buildings, multipurpose bleachers and stages, and halfway houses for pregnant tribal women.
Dubbed “Bahay ni Nanay,” the halfway houses will mainly take care of full-term pregnant tribal women while waiting for their turn to deliver in a government birthing facility.
A priority health initiative of the provincial government, he said that two halfway houses will be built under the program in Lake Sebu town.
The two-story multipurpose building will be constructed in barangays Lamian in Surallah, Punong Grande in Banga, Lamfugon and Upper Maculan in Lake Sebu, and Poblacion in Tantangan.
Barangays Koronadal Proper in Polomolok and Takunel in Lake Sebu will get multipurpose bleachers while barangays Luhib and Lake Lahit in Lake Sebu and Datal Dlanag in Tboli will receive multipurpose stages.
Gamo said they are currently working on the further expansion of the program next year to accommodate more barangays. (/PNA)
