Barangay officials told to assist senior citizens

The city legislative body approved a resolution requesting all barangay officials in the city’s 128 barangays to assist the senior citizens and immunocompromised persons living alone in their areas of jurisdiction in buying food and accompanying them to seek medical services, dental services, or in the event of  a medical emergency during this quarantine period.

The resolution authored by all members of the city legislative body  stated in the light of the ongoing implementation of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine and pursuant to the time-honored spirit of ‘bayanihan’ as well as the inherent Filipino value of ‘malasakit,’  barangay officials should look out for the welfare of the most vulnerable sectors, specifically the senior citizens and immunocompromised, who are living alone.

One of the most important errands that could be extended to them by the barangay officials is extending to them the appropriate assistance in purchasing their food and medicines as well as accompanying them to seek medical or dental services during a medical emergency for them to be able to access such assistance.

The resolution noted that through this, the barangay officials help safeguard the lives and health of the members of the vulnerable sector during these trying times that they need such assistance considering the difficulty of accessing such assistance due to the stoppage of the public transport system.

The resolution asserted that the barangay being the basic political unit under the existing bureaucracy, is directly in touch with its constituents and the barangay officials should be familiar with the plights and concerns of all those who live within their territorial jurisdiction.

Studies show that the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions are at a higher risk of being infected with the dreaded Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019 and that the same is further aggravated when such elderly or immunocompromised is living alone and there is no one to look out for them.

According to the resolution, the members of the vulnerable sector have no one to depend on to buy them food or medicine or even to accompany them to seek the medical services, or assist and look out for them during medical emergencies, especially during this period of the enhanced community quarantine.

The resolution admitted that the country is currently reeling under the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic and as a result, Luzon was placed under the enhanced community quarantine restricting the movement of the population to contain the spread and prevent the re-occurrence of the deadly virus.

Section 5, Article 2 of the Philippine Constitution, guaranteed that the maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property and the promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy.

Further, Section 15, Article 2 of the same stated that the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. – By Dexter A. See

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