BATANG MAYNILA
It is highly lamentable that the social media is currently being flooded by posts that are nothing but fake news or “demolition job” aimed at yours truly.
I trust that the public will not be gullible enough to believe the barrage of fake news on social media saying those from Visayas and Mindanao are not welcome in Manila. No politician or government official in his right mind will issue such kinds of statements.
Funnily, those behind it are apparently insulting the intelligence of the netizens, specially so that from the beginning, all the health services in the city have been open not only to residents but also to non-residents that include those from the provinces, no matter how far they are.
In fact, countless Filipinos hailing from as far as Mindanao and Visayas regions have already been served at the Manila COVID-19 Field Hospital headed by Director Dr. Arlene Dominguez, benefitted from the free swab tests and even availed of free Tocilizumab and Remdesivir being given by the local government.
So far, the recipients of the said rare and expensive life-saving drugs for severe and critical COVID patients has reached about 700 already and they come from as far as Bacolod, Negros, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao del Sur, Cotabato and Lanao del Sur.
Even the six city-owned hospitals -- one per district -- are now taking care of patients who hail from said regions as it had been the policy of the Manila city government to open its doors to non-Manilans in any way possible and this is what is being implemented in the entire city under the supervision of our hard-working Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna who heads the city government’s health cluster.
As I and Lacuna have maintained from the start of this pandemic, the worldwide problem is a universal one and this must be approached inclusively. The coronavirus knows no boundaries and protecting those who come and go in Manila is tantamount to protecting our own citizens.
The said fake news posts on social media is an apparent attempt to discredit the city of Manila’s policy of “inclusivity.” I see the attempt as “glass half full.” Clearly, it goes to show that we in the city government are doing a great job in serving even those who are non-residents.
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I thank the Department of Interior and Local Government - National Capital Region (DILG-NCR) for giving special recognition to the approach being implemented in the city of Manila against illegal drugs.
In a congratulatory letter, the DILG has lauded the Manila Anti-Drug Council (MADAC) for its accomplishments.
The City of Manila participated in the 2021 Anti-Drug Council (ADAC) Performance Audit under the Highly Urbanized City (HUC) category. The audit focused on the MADAC's performance in 2020.
Manila got a score of 85 in the audit results for its anti-drug efforts, indicating that MADAC is "highly functional." DILG-NCR regional director Maria Lourdes Agustin wrote: "The ADAC Regional Audit Team (ART) commends the MADAC for its accomplishments in introducing new ideas or innovation which added value in the implementation of the anti-illegal drugs programs." Attached to Agustin's letter was a copy of the signed ADAC-Functionality Monitoring System (FMS) Generated Report. Agustin noted that the result was formally endorsed to the ADAC National Audit Team (ANT) for further validation.
The city was also praised for its assistance to the drug users' rehabilitation programs.
We thank the DILG-NCR for this valuable recognition. We did everything humanly possible to keep our city drug-free while maintaining respect for basic human rights.
Let me assure the DILG and everyone for that matter, that the policy of respecting human rights will continue specially since it has so far been proven to be successful.
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Gaya ng paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, kailangan ko ang tulong ninyong lahat. Walang magmamalasakit sa Maynila kundi tayo ding mga Batang Maynila. Manila, God first!
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For updates on latest developments in the city of Manila, please visit my Facebook account – “IskoMoreno Domagoso.”