LGU-KORONADAL GRANTS CHEQUES TO 2022 BEP WINNERS
The City Government of Koronadal has formally awarded the prizes of the 2022 Barangay Empowerment Program (BEP) to the winning barangays in the recent Monday Convocation held at the City Hall Lobby.
The winning barangays represented by their respective punong barangays received the cheques from City Mayor Eliordo U. Ogena, Hon. Ma. Ester Catorce, Hon. Gregorio Presga, City Local Government Operations Officer Jennifer Fernandez and BEP Head Secretariat/City Planning and Development Officer Engr. Agnes Daguro.
The major awardees from the urban and rural categories will receive P3,000,000.00 for the 1st placer, P2,000,000.00 for the 2nd placer, and P1,000,000.00 for the 3rd placer. However, only half of the prize money was given to them, and the additional 50% is set to be downloaded through their 20% Local Development Fund (LDF).
Here are the major and minor awardees from the different barangays and the corresponding prizes they received during the awarding ceremony:
MAJOR AWARDS:
URBAN CATEGORY
1st Place – Barangay Concepcion (P1.5Million)
2nd Place – Barangay San Isidro (P1 Million)
3rd Place – Barangay Topland (P 500,000.00)
RURAL CATEGORY
1st Place – Barangay Caloocan (P1.5Million)
2nd Place – Barangay Rotonda (P1 Million)
3rd Place – Barangay Cacub (P 500,000.00)
MINOR AWARDS:
- BRO. WILFREDO E. LUBRICO, FMS – THE CLEANEST & BEST LANDCAPED BARANGAY AWARDS
URBAN CATEGORY
Winner: (P150,000.00)
Barangay San Isidro
Finalists: (P100,000.00)
Barangay Concepcion
Barangay Sto. Niño
Barangay Topland
RURAL CATEGORY
Winner: (P150,000.00)
Barangay Caloocan
Finalists: (P100,000.00)
Barangay Rotonda
Barangay Mambucal
Barangay Cacub
- THE CLEANEST & BEST LANDSCAPED ROADSIDE
URBAN CATEGORY
Winners: (P100,000.00)
Barangay San Isidro
Barangay San Jose
Finalists: (P75,000.00)
Barangay Concepcion
Barangay Sto. Niño
Barangay Topland
RURAL CATEGORY
Winner: (P100,000.00)
Barangay Caloocan
Finalists: (P75,000.00)
1st Place – Barangay Magsaysay
2nd Place – Barangay Mambucal
3rd Place – Barangay Mabini
- BEST COMMUNITY GARDEN
URBAN CATEGORY
Winner: (P75,000.00)
Barangay Topland
Finalists: (P100,000.00)
Barangay Concepcion
Barangay San Isidro
Barangay Saravia
RURAL CATEGORY
Winner: (P75,000.00)
Barangay Caloocan
Finalists: (P50,000.00)
Barangay Rotonda
Barangay Namnama
Barangay New Pangasinan
- BEST BARANGAY NURSERY
URBAN CATEGORY
Winners: (P40,000.00)
Barangay Concepcion
Barangay San Isidro
Finalists: (P20,000.00)
Barangay Sto. Niño
Barangay Saravia
Barangay Zone IV
RURAL CATEGORY
Winners: (P40,000.00)
Barangay Caloocan
Barangay Rotonda
Finalists: (P20,000.00)
BarangayCacub
Barangay Mambucal
Barangay New Pangasinan
Prior to the awarding of cheques to the winners, the CPDO head highlighted the different 2022 programs and activities spearheaded by the BEP Secretariat. According to Daguro, they have conducted a series of meetings and workshops to capacitate the barangays. They were also able to partner with the Department of Education to improve the program’s evaluation system.
On the other hand, Mayor Ogena urged the SP and the City Legal Office to work conjointly on the preparation of the draft ordinance in order to expedite its approval. The Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) President and Barangay Affairs Committee Chairperson, Councilor Gregorio O. Presga, will be sponsoring the said legislative measure.
“I am appealing to our Legal Officer to assist the SP since the inputs are already in the Executive Order. With the help of our City Planning and Development Officer, Agnes Daguro, we have been provided with the framework, general principles, and idea of the Barangay and Purok Empowerment Ordinance. I am also appealing to the SP to assist Hon. Presga with the enactment of the Barangay and Purok Empowerment Ordinance, as the puroks also highlight the importance of the private sector and the participation of the entire community, not only the barangays. “
The 3rd BEP Awarding Ceremony was held on January 15, 2023, with Senator Riza Hontiveros in attendance as the guest speaker. The lady senator was very impressed with the program and commended the city officials for coming up with such a unique initiative. She urged the winning puroks and barangays to impart their best practices to non-winners and encouraged them to actively participate in all the programs and activities of the barangays and the city.
In two separate interviews for the city’s weekly development program “Tingog sang Pagsanyog”, barangay captains John L. Manaay of Barangay Caloocan and Mema Joquiño of Barangay Concepcion shared where the money was allocated after winning the BEP and what they want other barangays to achieve in future evaluations.
Manaay said that they have allocated the budget to purchase a hectare of land that will serve as their future area for the nursery, community garden, MRF, and motor pool. They are also planning to buy a fogging machine for dengue prevention, electronic office equipment for BEP evaluation, ceramic toilet bowls for his constituents who lack proper and hygienic toilets, and additional materials for street lighting and landscaping in their barangay.
“Gina-aim namon, ang ginalantaw namon ang legacy kay nagatigulang na kami, plastado na ang barangay namon. Indi lamang panandalian lang nga proyekto, gusto namon ini para sa ulihi nga henerasyon”, Manaay stressed.
(“We are not getting any younger; thus, we want to leave a legacy and wanted to make sure that everything is in order. We want to have sustainable projects for our future generations.”)
Barangay Caloocan was hailed as the first-ever BEP Hall of Famer Awardee under the rural category after having won the competition three times in a row since the BEP started in 2020.
Punong Barangay Joquiño, on the other hand, said that she is very proud of what her barangay has achieved.
Barangay Concepcion has been a consistent major and minor awardee in the urban category for three consecutive years. The barangay won first place in 2020, second place in 2021, and again grabbed the top spot in 2022.
Joquiño stated that all she wanted was for other barangays to strive more in order to level up and win in the future.
“No matter what, bisan indi kami mag-first place, mag-second, indi kami mag-rank, happy na ko ya nga mag-rank man ang iban nga barangay because this is not only for Barangay Concepcion, kabilugan, 27 barangays naton kinahanglan nga mag-level up”, Joquiño said.
(No matter what, I don’t care if we got the first place, the second place, or no rank at all. I will be happier to see other barangays win because this is not only for barangay Concepcion but for all 27 barangays to level up.”)
Meanwhile, both punong barangays welcome the idea of helping other barangays by sharing with them their best practices. They also thanked the city government for acknowledging their efforts and for coming up with a one-of-a-kind program that develops bayanihan spirit among the people in the barangay.
The BEP is one of the flagship programs of the Ogena administration, aimed at empowering barangay and purok officials as well as the whole community in the city.