The City Government of Davao’s Peace 911 conducted a Peace Caravan and Medical Mission in Barangay Baganihan, Marilog District on May 10 as part of activities for its 6th anniversary.
During the caravan and medical mission, 810 clients were able to avail of the different services from local government offices, national government agencies, and partner organizations. Out of this, 345 were able to avail of free medical services, and 465 got services from various government agencies, both local and national.
Atty. Jonah Presto, Focal Person of Peace 911, said in an interview with the City Information Office that after their initial focus in Paquibato District, they expanded to Marilog, bringing the same services through the Peace Caravan, and this time also focusing on the Medical Mission.
Local government agencies that participated in the peace caravan included the City Civil Registrar’s Office (CCRO); City Agriculturist’s Office (CAgrO); City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO); LINGAP; Educational Benefit System Unit (EBSU); Public Employment Service Office (PESO); City Mayor’s Office (CMO) and Peace 911.
Among the national government agencies that took part in the peace caravan include the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth); Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA); Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP); Social Security System (SSS); PAG-IBIG Fund; Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR); Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP); Land Transportation Office (LTO); and the Department of Labor and Employment.
Medical services offered during the medical mission include free medical consultation, eye check-ups with free reading glasses and prescription glasses, free immunization and nutrition programs, laboratory services, dental services, and family planning among others.
Meanwhile, Presto said that the success of Peace 911 is attributed to the trust they were able to build in the community through collaboration and ensuring that the concerns of every stakeholder are being addressed.
“Even if nadeclare ta as insurgency free, the challenge is how to sustain it. We have to avoid na mabalik kung unsa ‘tong nahitabo sa una. We have to always collaborate with the community, kay ang ingon gani ni Mayor no, since ang number one man gyud nga gina-address ni Peace 911 is insurgency ang pinaka-rason nganong mujoin ang mga community sa mga insurgency related activities is because of pagpangluod. That’s something that we have to answer gyud; na kung naa gyu’y mulo ang tao you have to be a working government to address that. No matter how big or small, dapat naa ang government na makita ni nga mga challenges or kani na mga concerns sa mga tao. That’s the ultimate goal of Peace 911 nga maminaw gyud sa mga mulo [Even after the city was declared insurgency free, the challenge is how to sustain it. We have to avoid going back to the way it was. We have to collaborate with the community because, as what our Mayor said, the primary reason why the community join insurgency-related activities is because they have issues that were not heard or addressed properly. That is something that we have to answer; that if the people have concerns or issues, we must have a working government to address it. Regardless of how big or small the concern is, the government must be there to address it. That is also the ultimate goal of Peace 911: to ensure that every stakeholder in the community is heard],” she said. CIO
