More than a hundred alumni of Notre Dame of Tacurong High School Batch 1990 trooped to Barangay EJC Montilla to join the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Tacurong in the City Hall sa Barangay project on July 10, 2015, pioneering what could be the start of partnership with graduates desiring to give something back to their hometown.
The partnership in the city’s outreach program was one of the activities of graduates of Notre Dame of Tacurong for Boys and Girls in time with their 25th Alumni Homecoming.
As sponsor of the LGU in the conduct of the project, Batch 90 provided a counterpart fund of P20,000.00 used in the purchase of medicines and vitamins for the medical services.
Dr. Remo-tito Aguilar and Dr. Jocelyn Tacot-Tadena, two of the batch members, joined the city’s medical staff in the conduct of free consultations and check-up while Dr. Gil Orpiano served in the dental services. Other batch members assisted in various LGU services.
Three sacks of rice and several packs of grocery items were also raffled to the clients as part of the alumni’s activity. The batch also provided a lechon (roast pork) for lunch of the LGU working committees.
According to City Administrator Eduardo Nicolo, more than 800 hundred residents of EJC Montilla benefited from the City Hall sa Barangay project. More than fifty percent of the total number of clients availed of the medical and dental services.
Several batch members expressed their admiration on how systematic the project was being undertaken. The school gym of Maria Montilla Elementary School was virtually converted into a city hall where each office had its own working area.
Renee Rose Ebon-Cuento, a US-based Tacurongnon, said she was amazed at the smoothness of how the services were extended to the clients. “Everything was organized. In the dental services for example, all the tools were in place and the dentists have their efficient assistants too. It’s as if you’re inside a dental clinic”, she said. Joining the City Hall sa Barangay project was an amazing experience for me”.
Mayor Lina Montilla lauded Batch 90’s partnership in the project. “This could just be the beginning of several partnerships not only with Batch 90 but with other alumni batches too”, Mayor Montilla said.
City Hall sa Barangay, also dubbed mobile city hall, aims to bring the services of the LGU closer to the people especially in the countryside. Started in 2011, the project is one of the best practices of the LGU and has already been replicated by other LGUs like Koronadal City. (Allan Freno, LGU Tacurong City)