ANGELES CITY- Angeles City Mayor and Regional Development Council – Region 3 (RDC-R3) Chairman Edgardo D. Pamintuan convened the 15th Session of the RDC’s Full Council Meeting, Tuesday (January 9) at the Century Resort Hotel.
Pamintuan said the assembly aims to engage all regional government agencies, local govern
ment units, including private sector representatives and stakeholders, to update them on the current matters facing the region concerning health, education and infrastructure developments.
Department of Public Works and Highways – Region 3 (DPWH-R3) Director Antonio Molano Jr. presented the approved budget for fiscal year 2018 and all the priority projects in the coming years.
Molano disclosed that the proposed projects endorsed by the RDC have reached P 70 billion as compared to the P30 billion in the previous year. He furthered that construction of roads and bridges, and flood mitigation structures and facilities contribute to the majority of the percent share for the FY 2018 budget.
Big ticket projects funded under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) include the Bagac-Mariveles Road, Capas-Botolan Road, Pulilan-Baliuag Diversion Road, New Clark City-MacArthur Access Road, SCTEx Service Road- MacArthur Access Road, and the New Clark City-Bamban-Capas Access Road.
An update on the status of the Senior High School (SHS) Program implementation was presented by Department of Education – Region 3 (DepEd-R3) Director Malcolm S. Garma. DepEd-R3 recorded a total of 332,470 SHS enrollment from 1,353 schools for the year 2017-2018.
To augment the rising number of SHS students, the agency targets to hire more teachers on top of the 5,900 teachers employed from 2016 to 2017. DepEd-R3 also eyes for more SHS implementers and partners for the student work immersions.
The Department of Health – Region 3 (DoH-R3) led by Director Leonita Gorgolon presented an update on the Dengvaxia Vaccine, Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), and support to the Establishment of Lactation Station in the Workplace.
An audio-visual presentation on the FAQs (frequently asked question) about the Dengue Immunization Program was also prepared by DoH-R3 where the public is urged to follow the 4Ss: [1] Search and Destroy Breeding Places, [2] Seek Early Consultation, [3] Self-Protection Measures, [4] Say Yes to Fogging in times of Impending Outbreak.
Commission on Higher Education – Region 3 (CHEd- R3) Director Dr. Caridad Abuan, updated the body on the implementing rules and regulations of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017 or Republic Act 10931.
The General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2018 provided P40 billion to implement the law which includes major provisions for Free Higher Education in SUCs and LUCs, Free Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in State-run Technical Vocational Institutions (STVIs) , Tertiary Education Subsidy, Student Loans Program for Tertiary Education, and Strengthening of the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST).
For his part, Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan thanked all heads of regional government offices who have dedicated their time to partake and collaborate in the said council assembly.
“The meeting has resulted to a fruitful discussion. Important matters and clarifications were put to place. We can now clearly see how our national government is moving our region to be the one of the finest in the country,” the RDC chairperson said.
“Our president said Build, Build, build! Now, it is our time to work, work, and work!,” Pamintuan urged.