CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—With full commitment and dedication in realizing the development and progress of the whole region, leaders of Central Luzon met in the 6th Regional Council Meeting held at the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Region 3, Diosdado Macapagal Government Center in Maimpis, recently.
Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima graced the said event and personally made an appeal to all the RDC board for the approval and to formally endorse the Regional Prison Facility project in Laur, Nueva Ecija.
It was learned that this project is the first major project through PPP (Public Private Partnership) which according to Secretary De Lima is a modern, state-of-the-art prison facility.
“Kaya po talaga ako pumunta dito I was suppose to make a personal appeal for the Regional Development Council to approve or to endorse this project. Kung saan itatransfer po natin ang ating mga inmates sa National Bilibid sa Muntinlupa. This is the big ticket PPP project of the Department of Justice and Bureau of Corrections which is the first of its kind in the country.” Secretary De Lima said in her speech.
Governor Lilia Nanay Pineda also vented on her concerns to Secretary Leila M. Delima about the plight of the women inmates regarding the development plan for the Bilibid Prison.
“Madam secretary pwede po bang i- request na yung ating Correctional for Women malayong malayo siya sa ating mga inmates na lalake para po kapag dinadalaw ng pamilya nila lalo na ang mga anak nila hindi nila ma-imagine na ang kanilang parents ay nakakulong”, Pineda said.
The lady governor also lauded Nueva Ecija Governor Aurelio Umali for allowing the Bilibid prison to be transferred to his dominion.
One of the agenda of the meeting was the presentation and approval of resolutions instituted by the sectoral committees.
As the Committee on Social Development headed by Governor Lilia Nanay Pineda six resolutions were drafted and endorsed with the committee from their second meeting on social development held on January 9, 2015 at Nabuclod, Resettlement Floridablanca.
For the plight of the marginalized sectors in the region like the indigenous people, people who are weighed down on drugs, children who need rightful education, the following resolutions were presented and approved:
Resolution 03-01, 2015 creating technical working group on housing to fasttrack elevation and resettlement of informal settlers /families for Supreme Court Mandamus. This technical working group should be headed by the DILG as chair, with members from DPWH, DSWD, DENR, NHA, NEDA and all the official governments of Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.
The second resolution (03-02,2015) is the enjoining all the government hospitals in the region to provide a dedicated ward for the indigenous people. To ensure that the needs of our indigenous kabalens on their health be addressed.
The third resolution which is 03-03 2015 enjoining the Department of Health Region 3 and all the provincial governments in the region to prioritize the establishment of the rehabilitation center for each province in the Central Luzon. It was learned that only one Rehabilitation Center is managed by DOH in the whole region which is the Bataan Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Limay Bataan and four are DOH accredited treatment and accreditation centers.
The fourth resolution 03-04-2015 creating a technical working group on K to 12 in giving up for the enhanced basic education implementation in Central Luzon in 2016.
Another resolution (03-05.2015) requesting that Technical Division Skills Development or TESDA secretary Joel Villanueva for the provision of one mobile facility for each province in Central Luzon.
The last resolution (03-06.2015) endorsing the automatic inclusion of all proposed water system projects for the indigenous cultural communities in all government programs.
Attended by all the governors, mayors of Central Luzon, representatives from different private sectors, Secretaries/undersecretaries/
BY MARIBEL U. SINGCA
