Transcending Horizons: Addressing Prevalent Community Concerns in Barangay Muzon. (The Official’s Viewpoint)
It is quite complex to describe "community challenges." There are issues that we regard as urgent, but there are other issues that we imagine we can resolve with the snap of a finger, channeling our inner "Thanos" (pun intended.) My previous blog entry (Transcending Horizons: Addressing Prevalent Community Concerns in Barangay Muzon) is a narrative of common community issues from the perspective of Barangay Muzon residents; it summarizes the issues that they believe should be addressed and prioritized as they encounter them in their daily lives. This blog is a continuation of addressing prevalent issues within the same community through the lens of the officials, “Transcending Horizons: Addressing Prevalent Community Concerns in Barangay Muzon. (The Official’s Viewpoint)”. Let’s all figure out the common community concerns according to our respondents as we define the survey results that I conducted.
Will it have the same result, or the officials have a different viewpoint?
Looking for an official to interview in my selected community was more difficult than I anticipated, given that I've lived there for over 5 years and am still unfamiliar with the individuals that make up the community's barangay leaders. Fortunately, I had friends who assisted me in locating authorities who could reply to the survey that I produced, and I got the opportunity to interview two appointed officials from the community.
Respondents
My first respondent is Mrs. Jocelyn Quiban. She was a 58-year-old female, an appointed "Mother Leader" of the community. She was a high school graduate residing in Pabahay 2000 Muzon, and it was my honor to be able to get her viewpoint about the prevalent community concerns in Barangay Muzon.
Before we look into the details of her viewpoint about the prevalent community concern in barangay Muzon, let us first define what a "Mother Leader" is and their duties in the community.
A Mother Leader, also known as a "Barangay Health Worker," is defined as a person who is appointed to act as a health worker in a barangay unit and serve as the frontline provider of basic health services in the barangay. They play a vital role in accomplishing the primary health care approach towards health empowerment by providing accessible and acceptable health services at the barangay level. According to the "Barangay Health Workers Act of 2019."
Going back to Mrs. Quiban's point of view on the most prevalent community concern, she was quite precise in her survey response about what she believes is the most prevalent community problem in barangay Muzon, which was "lack of manpower."
She claims that because she is usually outside, she has firsthand encounters with members of the stated group who want to obtain all of the advantages that are due to them. And, as much as she wants to help all of them, there is a shortage of manpower to assist them all and provide them with the assistance they require from the government, so she goes above and beyond her working time and capacity to aid them.
“Sa tingin ko, ako bilang laging nasa labas at nakikita yung mga tao na talagang gustong makatanggap ng mga benepisyo na dapat sa kanila ay yung problema nga lang ay kakulangan ng tao na mag assist sa kanila. Ginagawa ko kasi sa aking trabaho ay mangalap ng mga tao at ibigay ang dapat na serbisyo na inilaan ng gobyerno sa kanila. Kami naman sa brgy ay tumutulong lamang para ihatid ito. Pero konti lang ang tao namin, kaya ako doble trabaho talaga.”
Her answer to the community concerns that she believes we are presently dealing with that should be prioritized and addressed was also the same "lack of manpower". She said with enough conviction that it should be prioritized and addressed so that the distribution of help and resources to the community becomes more efficient.
“Gaya ng sabi ko yung kakulangan ng tao kasi mas maraming tao mas madali at mabilis ang pagbibigay ng mga benepisyo sa tao.”
As for my second and last respondent, Mrs. Emma N. Campolio is 53 years old, female, a high school graduate, lives in Melody Plains Muzon, and works on the Councilor's Legislative Staff.
Her viewpoint about the prevalent community concerns in barangay Muzon is numerous; she enumerated a total of four issues that she believes are prevalent in the said community.
Garbages in a Heap (Mga basura lalo na yung mga tambak sa F. Homes.)
Traffic in Muzon
Gossips (Chismis)
Broken Roads (Mga sirang daan)
And, of the four concerns mentioned, she stated that the "Lack of Appropriate Garbage Landfills" is the most prominent community concern in barangay Muzon, and that it should be eradicated, addressed, and prioritized. She also believes that every family or community should have a designated disposal location and that garbage incineration should be prohibited since it might cause sickness.
“Kinakailangan natin muna masugpo ang mga tinatambakan ng basura, kasi hindi pwedeng itambak lang nang itambak. Dapat mayroon silang tambakan na malayo sa mga kabahayan, at sana iwasan din yung pagsusunog. Nakakaapekto ito dahil sa amoy na nakakadulot ng sakit.”
Conclusion
According to the result of the survey, the officials believe that the most prevalent community concerns that should be addressed and prioritized are "lack of manpower" and "lack of appropriate garbage landfills," which are community problems that are also being experienced by the whole country itself.
One example is the lack of frontliners in the fight against the CoVid-19 Virus. According to the Department of Health on September 23, 2021, The Philippines is facing a shortage of 92,000 physicians, 44,000 nurses, 9,000 medical technologists, around 14,000 pharmacists, and around 17,000 radiologic technicians and radiologic technologists due to CoVid-19. which represents a problem of lack of manpower.
On the other hand, an example of the "lack of appropriate garbage landfills" is the infamous garbage landfills in Payatas, Quezon City. And based on the 2018 data, the Philippines is the third largest generator of solid waste per year among Southeast Asian countries, following Thailand and Indonesia. This does not only show a problem with the lack of appropriate garbage landfills but also ignorance and a lack of initiatives for clean-up drives and proper garbage segregation, which results in a formerly known local government problem becoming a national crisis.
These examples are an indication of a local community crisis growing into a national dilemma, which is not just a simple issue but an alarming problem that needs a quick and well-thought out response.
As an individual who believes that we can always contribute to eradicating these problems, with these specific community concerns, I would like to end this blog with a quote that hopefully will apply to each and everyone who is reading this blog.
“Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem” - Jon Mead.
References:
Gumban, E. (2020, September 7). Phl Facing Garbage Crisis; 16.6 Million Metric Tons Of Waste This Year Can Fill 99 Philippine Arenas. OneNews.PH. https://www.onenews.ph/articles/phl-facing-garbage-crisis-16-6-million-metric-tons-of-waste-this-year-can-fill-99-philippine-arenas.
Gonzales, C. (2021, September 23). PH short of 92000 physicians in view of pandemic — DOH exec. Inquirer.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1491926/ph-short-of-92000-physicians-in-view-of-pandemic-doh-exec.
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