The government on Thursday recognized more than 49,000 barangays in the country for their excellent response to protect their communities against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Barangay Health Emergency Response Team Excellence Awards in Thwarting the Coronavirus Disease (BEAT COVID- 19) Project awards were given to the 49,914 barangays nationwide in recognition of their significant efforts in the government’s COVID-19 response.
Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said that the BEAT COVID-19 Project is a pat on the back for the exemplary performance of the 49,914 BHERTs across the country leading to the current downtrend of COVID-cases in the Philippines.
“We have to give credit where credit is due. Our BHERTs have been with us even before Day 1 of the pandemic. They are the ones working in communities. They have been instrumental in our country’s fight against COVID-19 and through the BEAT COVID-19 Project we are telling them that we see their contributions and that we value them,” he said.
“This [BEAT COVID-19 Project] is a small token of our acknowledgment for our BHERTs’ service to the Filipinos as they selflessly risked their lives and health to provide necessary assistance to the people,” he added.
The DILG chief said that BHERTs has been the constant partners of the national government and other instrumentalities of the government in addressing COVID-19-related concerns in the communities together with the hired contact tracers and members of the Local COVID-19 Task Forces.
As the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) approved the easing to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 status of National Capital Region (NCR) and 38 other areas in the country from March 1 to 15, Año said that “it is vital that we commend the people that help us get here.”
Through DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2022-023, the DILG, cognizant of the vital role BHERTs play in the COVID-19 response of the country, likewise enjoined all local government units (LGUs) to partake in recognizing all BHERTs within their locality by supporting the implementation of the project. Support from LGU can be implemented by organizing award ceremonies where the certification will be handed to the barangays with organized BHERTs.
Among the responsibilities of the BHERTs are to conduct visits in the homes of individuals possibly inflicted with COVID-19; encourage and assist COVID-19 positive residents to isolate in Barangay Isolation Units or self-quarantine at home; initiate contact-tracing; and report, on a daily basis, the condition of prospective and confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Prior to the start of the nationwide lockdown in 2020, the DILG enjoined all LGUs to activate their BHERTs composed of an Executive Officer, a Barangay Tanod (barangay police officer), and two Barangay Health Workers. Some barangays have organized more than one BHERTs.
The BEAT COVID-19 awarding ceremony, to be held no later than July 30, 2022, will be conducted either face-to-face or virtually in all compliant barangays by the DILG regional and field offices in cooperation with their respective LGUs.