BRGYS. URGED TO EARMARK AMOUNT FOR ELDERLY’S MAINTENANCE MEDS

November 4, 2022 Metro BLISTT

Baguio City Council has passed a resolution urging the barangays in the city to appropriate an amount in their respective budgets for the purchase of maintenance medicines and other wellness needs for senior
citizens. The resolution stated that the budget for the purchase of maintenance medicines and other wellness needs for senior citizens shall be appropriated under the Senior Citizen Fund of the barangays.

It also emphasized that the distribution of these maintenance medicines and other wellness needs shall be
done in accordance with the guidelines to be set by the City Social Welfare and Development Office and the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs. Maintenance drugs are prescription drugs used to treat conditions that are considered chronic and long-term.

These require intake on a regular basis and for a long period of time. Among the commonly used
maintenance drugs are Losartan and Amlodipine for hypertension, Metformin for Diabetes, and Simvastatin for high cholesterol. Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, main author of the resolution, mentioned that the
Department of Health used to supply maintenance medicines to the local government units.

However, because of the implementation of the Mandanas Ruling, she said it is now the responsibility of the local government unit to provide the health needs of its constituency which includes the purchase of maintenance medicines. Tabanda recalled that the Mandanas ruling had increased the share of the LGUs including the barangays in the National Tax Allotment, formerly called the Internal Revenue Allotment.

With the increase of the LGUs’ share in all taxes and revenues, the provision of a certain social services has been devolved to the local government. “The substantial increase in revenues would enable the
barangays to improve the delivery of basic services such as health services to its constituents. With
strengthened local autonomy, the barangays now have the administrative autonomy to identify their own priority programs,” she stated.

She stressed that the purchase of medicines and other wellness needs for senior citizens is in line with Section 17 of the Local Government Code of 1991 or Republic Act No. 7160 which mandates barangays to provide for the delivery of health services.

Sangguniang Panlungsod / Jordan G. Habbiling