DAVAO CITY—The Office of the Vice President would establish more satellite offices in different parts of the country to increase its presence in the regions.
OVP spokesman Reynaldo Munsayac said, “There are plans to establish additional two satellite offices in places that accessible to the public,” and would likely be in the Bicol Region and Northern Luzon.
“We will have one in Bicol Region this year, then in Isabela area,” Munsayac said.
Aside from satellite offices, the OVP would also establish public assistance extension offices.
“There will be many of these public extension offices. Our intention is to put an office in areas that are not reached by the government agencies…,” Munsayac said.
“The offices will go a long way to provide medical assistance, guarantee for medicine, and burial assistance,” he added.
Currently the OVP has seven satellite offices located in Bacolod City, Tandag, Surigao del Sur, Davao City, Cebu, Tacloban, Dagupan and Zamboanga.
Meanwhile, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said the health ministry has set up a satellite office in Zamboanga City for patients in the BaSulTa region, or Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi.
“Transfer of medical equipment and supplies to the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi would now be easier as the Ministry of Health [MOH] opened its satellite office in Zamboanga City,” MOH Assistant Secretary Dr. Abdulhalik Kasim.
The office was inaugurated on February 27 and it has since operated as the sub-office of the MOH to serve as a storehouse for medicines, vaccines, and other equipment needed by residents in the island provinces.