Organization

Municipal Government of San Mateo, Rizal

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

2013

This is a GBPR finalist entry

Summary

The Tina Cares: Mayor on Wheels program is a pioneer project of the Municipal Government of San Mateo Rizal, aiming to deliver the local government’s services quickly and conveniently to the public. The idea was conceived when the former Municipal Mayor of San Mateo, Rizal, Hon. Cristina “Tina” C. Diaz, envisioned a program that should run a compassionate system for public services that reaches out to the less fortunate residents of San Mateo – particularly in the outskirts and marginalized communities of the Municipality. It started in 2013 with three activities targeting poor neighborhood association communities: Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CBDRM) seminars, Anti-Rabies Vaccination for Pet Dogs and Cats, and Medical Missions.

These activities were aimed to empower vulnerable communities on health empowerment and disaster awareness. The Mayor on Wheels program intends to imbue resiliency in each vulnerable family and indigent community. With this intention in mind, the program gradually evolved through the years into a full-blown mobile service for the local government’s most pertinent social welfare programs: a “Minisipyo,” as it is a roving “mini munisipyo” of San Mateo. Since 2016, it has become a weekly activity of the Mayor’s Office in coordination with the various departments involved.

Background and Problem

San Mateo is a first-class municipality in the Province of Rizal, with a population of 252,527. It comprises fifteen barangays geographically categorized into two (2) groups: upland and lowland. Four barangays are upland because they are in the mountainous regions of the town. Some barangays have upland and lowland areas in their jurisdictions, and the rest are lowland barangays.

Although small complexes of municipal and barangay facilities like Rural Health Units have been built all over San Mateo to widen the reach of the municipality’s services, it has been observed that several people, especially those who live in the marginalized communities, are still detached and unaware of the services that they can rightfully avail from the municipality.

Despite classifying San Mateo as a first-class municipality, portions of the territory are considered remote areas and have limited access to the local government’s facilities. Thus, the Mayor on Wheels Program was conceived and is continuously being enhanced and expanded.

Solution and Impact

The program brought to life a roving munisipyo that provides access to essential social welfare services. This is very important, especially for disadvantaged communities with no access to affordable healthcare, lack of resources for basic needs, high exposures to disaster risks, less awareness and information on social and community development, and who experience hunger, among others. The Mayor on Wheels Program seeks to lessen and eventually eliminate the impact of these mentioned factors on indigent communities through a two-pronged approach:

  • Reach: a community-based implementation to fill the geographical gap between the communities and the municipality.
  • Depth: a deliberate combination of social welfare programs targeting specific poverty indicators. Widening the reach of the Mayor on Wheels Program required institutionalizing the program for proper budgeting and financing.

Regarding the program’s depth, the Mayor on Wheels aims to raise the Quality of Life (QoL) of the indigent residents of San Mateo, Rizal. Specifically, the program answers the following Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations through its components: No Poverty, Good Health and Well-Being, Gender Equality, Decent Work & Economic Growth, and Reduced Inequalities.

True to the local government’s mission and vision, the Mayor on Wheels Program exemplifies progressiveness and innovation in uplifting social equity. The program was able to provide the following mobile services:

  1. CBDRM seminar
  2. Hands-Only CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) Training
  3. Fire Safety Seminar with BFP
  4. Crime Prevention Seminar with PNP
  5. Rapid Medical Check-Up
  6. Mobile Pharmacy
  7. Basic Social Welfare Services
  8. Financial Assistance
  9. Local Civil Registry Assistance Desk for late birth registration and other civil registry concerns
  10. PESO on-the-spot Interview and Recruitment
  11. Provision of Hot Meals
  12. Anti-Rabies Vaccination for Pet Dogs and Cats
  13. Mobile Dental Bus
  14. Legal Consultation
  15. Free Issuance of Cedula
  16. Mobile Payment of Real Property Taxes (RPT)
  17. Urban Container Gardening IEC
  18. Responsible Pet Ownership IEC
  19. Free Haircutting and Massage
  20. Fogging for Dengue Prevention
  21. De-clogging for Dengue Prevention and Flood Mitigation
  22. Beautification, Trimming, and Pruning for promoting child-friendly spaces and neighborhood
  23. Referral to Assistive Devices Grants and other Medical Operations
  24. Spiritual Counseling care of MMTSM/Movement for Moral Transformation of San Mateo

Milestones/Next Steps

When the program started in 2013, its implementation depended on requests from neighborhood/homeowner’s associations and the Barangay offices. During summer, the CBDRM was a seasonal activity for flood-prone communities as a preparatory move for the expected heavy rains and floods when the rainy season comes.

In 2016, the program became more regular however, it only reached 7 areas:Barangays Sto. Niño, Pintong Bukawe, Maly, Malanday, Guinayang, Guitnangbayan II, and Banaba. Since the initiative became a regular program (2016), the Mayor on Wheels Core Team recorded a total reach of 115,943 individuals. The program reached its full potential by 2017. The Mayor on Wheels program was able to service all 15 barangays of San Mateo.

The farthest reach and special milestone of the Mayor on Wheels Program was when it visited and served Sitio Casili of Barangay Pintong Bukawe. In this far-flung community, a small number of Dumagat Remontados settled and communed.

In 2018, the number of individuals reached by the program was 26,633. For 2019, the Mayor on Wheels (MOW) could cater to almost 46,374 individuals and nearly 9,275 families. Most of these constituents come from the indigent communities’ women, children, and elderly sectors. These numbers support the conclusion that TC- MOW has a broad reach among its constituents.