City council enacts barangay wellness, health program

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has passed an ordinance establishing a wellness and healthy lifestyle program in all the city’s barangays.

Authored by Councilors Alvin Dizon and Franklyn Ong, the ordinance is entitled, “Cebu City Wellness and Healthy Lifestyle Program Ordinance.”

“The current COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more fundamental and of paramount importance for people to maintain a healthy immune system through wellness and healthy lifestyle to support body and mind to be better equipped in dealing with stress and uncertainties posed by the global health crisis,” read the ordinance.

The City Health Office is tasked to monitor the implementation of the ordinance; coordinate with the barangays through the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), Department of Social Welfare Services (DSWS), Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS), and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) in promoting wellness and healthy lifestyle programs through Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials; and continue to educate people about COVID-19, health and safety protocols and harm reduction strategies as preventive measures against the disease through various platforms.

The punong barangay is tasked to prepare and formulate a comprehensive and participatory wellness and healthy lifestyle program in collaboration with CHO, DSWS, barangay council’s chair of committee on health, BNS, BHWs, and representatives from  barangay sectors such as the youth, women, senior citizens, among others; oversee the regular implementation of the activities as contained in the formulated wellness and healthy lifestyle program; conduct inventory of idle spaces and encourage citizens to utilize these available idle spaces for community gardening, among others.

The ordinance has stipulated the tasks of other offices and personalities such as the chairperson of the barangay council’s committee on health, BNS and BHWs involved in the implementation of the program.

The wellness day shall be held in the barangay twice a year to organize free medical services to monitor and treat non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Services would include monitoring of blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, eye check-up, among others.

The barangay governments are encouraged to pass a resolution or an ordinance strongly encouraging all business establishments located within their jurisdiction to institute health and wellness programs at their workplaces.

The city shall appropriate an annual amount of P5 million as assistance to the barangays to be taken from the general fund for the implementation of the health and wellness program. —GMR (FREEMAN)