BEP: Improves street lightings in Koronadal
A well-lit, visible, and useful street for walkers. This is a remarkable outcome of the Barangay Empowerment Program (BEP), where people will no longer be afraid for their lives due to dark sections of road.
Streetlights serve an important and necessary purpose. It has the potential to increase traffic safety and security. It also improves pedestrian, driver, and passenger safety, as well as the safety of residents. Infact, studies show that improved street lighting would increase road user safety and result in fewer accidents.
According to Engineer I Jenny Pearl Guanzon, one of the BEP evaluators, most barangays are now prioritizing street lighting investments as part of their infrastructure projects. She goes on to say that because of the lack of well-lit streets, most barangay council members learned to prioritize the convenience and security of their residents. She emphasizes that light was not always a priority in rural barangays. Officials later realized, however, the significance of allocating funds to the aforementioned project.
During the BEP evaluation, evaluators went above and beyond to count the number of posts and lights one by one, including their functionality. This is to determine how much money has been spent on lighting projects by the barangay. It enables evaluators to make recommendations on how many lights to add or which areas to prioritize for lighting.
According to Architech Hallarsis, the barangay council prioritizes other infrastructure projects before, resulting in the neglect of others. “We usually recommend allocating a budget for streetlights, even if it’s a small budget,” Hallarsis explained.
On the other hand, most barangays invest in solar lights. Some had put some of their BEP cash prizes into the project. “The use of solar lights is more advantageous; it is more expensive, but it is more cost-efficient in the long run. The barangay can save money on electricity because of this”, Hallarsis said.
Furthermore, Hallarsis explained that because some barangays have a limited budget and a lesser Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), they must make necessary compromises on which infrastructure projects must be prioritized. Hallarsis confirmed that the BEP had made the city well lighted especially those narrow streets and internal roads.
‘We usually make recommendations on the number of lights needed based on the IRA of the barangay, but there are some that go above and beyond our recommendations’, Engr. Guanzon said.
In an interview with Engineer Marchie Roldan R. Tajo, one of the urban barangay evaluators, he stated that part of their evaluation is based on how the barangay spent their budget and where the 750,000 appropriation for infrastructures and the 20% development fund was expended. “We examine the functionality of their street lights.” We inspect the quality of their purchase and, if necessary, recommend specifications, such as solar or LED.” Tajo said.
Tajo is convinced that well-lit villages mean a safe community, especially in accident-prone areas. The city government’s subsidy of 1 million BEP for rural barangays is a big help,” he said.
City Mayor Eliordo U. Ogena hopes for the active implementation of the BEP program in every barangay as part of the city’s mission of “building safe, livable, and green economies and communities”. He expressed his optimism and expectation that all other barangays will emulate those outstanding barangays that strive for the best. The Mayor emphasized that if one barangay can do it, so can the rest. He stated that in order to attract investors, the barangay’s cleanliness and lightings must be improved.
People can expect more opportunities for income with the continued lightings brought about by BEP, because residents can continue their economic activities at night or even engage in outdoor social activities.