CEBU CITY - The mayor of Cebu's southern coastal town of Samboan on Monday cited the almost PHP17-million community development projects of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) which enable them to more effectively fight coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Mayor Emerito Calderon Jr. said his town has prioritized healthcare services for his constituents through its partnership with the DSWD-Central Visayas in coming up with a set of sub-projects as the municipality responds to the pandemic. Calderon cited the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) of the DSWD as a source for a total of PHP15.6 million funds used for isolation facilities, health stations, communication devices, and medical equipment. "I have witnessed how limited we are in responding (to) the challenges brought by COVID-19. That is why I wish that all barangays would have their own health stations to bring medical services closer to the people)," he said in Cebuano in a statement. Community healthcare providers at the grassroots level, like the Barangay Health Workers and Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams, are at the frontlines of taking care of patients and preventing the spread of Covid-19 despite the meager amount of local resources. The sub-projects funded by the community-based program gave Samboan health officials the opportunity to improve the quality of basic medical care for the constituents. Calderon, who took over as Samboan's local chief executive after his father Emerito Sy Calderon Sr. died of heart failure on Dec. 21, 2020, said as a physician leading the town, public health services for the vulnerable sector will be his priority agenda. "We hope that, through the Operations and Maintenance Team, the usability of this project will be taken care of so that more people will have access to it. They deserve to be healthy and free from worries, especially the vulnerable children," DSWD-7 assistant regional director Shalaine Marie Lucero said. The town of 15 barangays has so far received a total of six Covid-19-related sub-projects from the program since 2021, the DSWD-7 official said. (PNA) }