CITY BRIEFS
By Therese Romaine Nalangan Rusti

OsMak celebrates 20th anniversary

Marking the 20TH founding anniversary of the city-owned and managed Ospital ng Makati (OsMak), a thanksgiving mass was celebrated followed by a program at the Acute Care Center in Malugay Street in Barangay Bel-Air, Nov. 7.

Built 20 years ago through an executive order by City Mayor Jejomar Cabauatan Binay, OsMak is now a six-storey 206-bed tertiary hospital used as a public health care facility in the city.

Mayor Binay said that OsMak, built in 1988, served its purpose when it became a health care system focusing on the medical needs of the less privileged constituents.

Makati launches “3B sa Pasko 2008”

Through the City Government of Makati’s Department of Environmental Services (DES), the Basura’y Bawasan, Balik-gamitin at Baguhin ang anyo sa Pasko, otherwise known as 3B sa Pasko, was launched at the lobby of the old City Hall of Makati, Nov. 10.

According to DES Chief Danilo Villas, the 3B sa Pasko is a one-month activity that aims to promote recycling through an exhibit and a bazaar of different kinds of novelty Christmas items made from reused and recycled materials.

Aside from this, the project encourages entrepreneurs to showcase recycled products as well as promote reduction of waste.

GK, Makati build Dreamlandville

In partnership with the Gawad Kalinga, the City Government of Makati conducted a ground-breaking ceremony for the first house to be built in Dreamlandville Subdivision, which stands on a 3.2-hectare property in Barangay Kay Pian, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan for the benefit of its relocated residents.

“We envision for our less fortunate residents a place that they can call their own, even if it means building a separate community for them outside Makati. We intend to do everything possible to create a community with amenities closely resembling those found in our city,” said City Mayor Jejomar Cabauatan Binay.

Aside from the newly built houses, the city government also plans to build parks, playgrounds, commercial buildings, and other amenities within the community.

Makati gives residents rice subsidy

As a response to the rice shortage in the country, the City Government of Makati distributed 2 000 sacks of rice worth over PhP1.8 million from the National Food Authority to families from the 27 barangays, including those who have been relocated in Cabuyao and Calauan, Laguna and in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

According to City Mayor Jejomar Cabauatan Binay, the city government wants to help raise the families’ poverty threshold level by giving them a substantial supply of rice for free.

For convenience, the distribution of rice subsidy outside Makati was done in their respective areas, while barangay residents obtained their provisions through the five distribution centers around the city: Palanan, Carmona, Comembo, Valenzuela, and Guadalupe Nuevo.

UMak receives accreditation

Having met the standards of the Association of Local Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (Alcucoa), the University of Makati (UMak) was given the Certificate of Level I Accreditation for the Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSE) and the Bachelor in Elementary Education (BEEd) programs of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education—Center for Innovative Education and Sciences.

Based on the record of the Alcucoa, the UMak is the first local university in the country that has been awarded with a program accreditation having an average of 3.21 in the BEEd program and 3.20 in the BSE program.

Because of this, the UMak is now the third university in the country to have excelled and passed the requirements of the Alcucoa (From the City of Makati Official Website at http://www.makati.gov.ph).