With the extension of the Luzon ECQ, the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College distributed the second round of relief packs to 89 stranded students, with 83 in Bontoc and six in Tadian on April 18, 2020. This SUC initiative is part of the intensification of the Og-ogfon si MPSPC, a social action program of the Office of the College President that provides assistance to stranded students and the medical and non-medical front liners in different municipalities in Mountain Province.
On April 15, 2020, the College President, Dr. Rexton F. Chakas directed the VP for Administration and Finance, Dr. Rogelio K. Balcita, Jr. to convene the Sector team leaders of employee-volunteers. As instructed earlier, these Sector Team Leaders assigned as coordinators for the four (4) respective barangays of Central Bontoc namely: Poblacion, Caluttit, Bontoc Ili and Samoki, are responsible for monitoring and getting feedback from the stranded students residing in the said barangays and for briefing and updating the management on the critical concerns requiring immediate attention and those that are vital in planning subsequent relief operations. The Coordinator of the Student Services and Development Office (SSDO) in Tadian was also notified to this effect.
In the meeting, Dr. Balcita reiterated the position of the College President regarding the plight of stranded students that the College should bear the responsibility and not to burden the Local Government Units as they are already facing a wide range of concerns but nevertheless, the College recognizes the mandates of these government agencies and that the College is on a supporting and complementary role. The sector team leaders were then advised to assess the extent of assistance being provided by the local government units, particularly that of the DSWD through the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management (MDRRM) and its counterpart in the provincial government since they already have the list of stranded MPSPC students. Based on verified reports from volunteers deployed in barangay Samoki, Ms. Carolyne Dale Castaneda disclosed in the meeting that some students in barangays Samoki and Caluttit have not received any relief goods from the government because they are not in the priority list, accordingly. As a matter of fact, the last one that they received was the relief goods provided by the College on April 7, 2020. Ms. Castaneda further reported that most students need further assistance because of the extension of the ECQ.
Furthermore, Dr. Balcita instructed the Finance Services to disburse the remaining cash from the donations of College officials, faculty members, and the non-teaching staff. Utilizing the accumulated cash donations, College volunteers procured 11 cavans of rice, 4 boxes of instant pancit canton, 2 boxes of canned meatloaf, 4 cases of canned sardines, and 5 boxes of instant noodles for the second round of relief operations for the 89 stranded students. The College volunteers packed the procured goods and distributed the food packs per barangay. The Health Services Unit of the College joined in the distribution to monitor the health status of the students and provided them multivitamins. According to Mr. Joseph Brillantes, the Director of the Collegeβs Health Services, the students are generally in good condition.
Meanwhile, the College also donated 87 liters of pasteurized cow milk to the PDRRMO, the Tadian LGU, and the Bontoc General Hospital-Provincial Health Office. An additional 300 pieces of face masks were also donated to the PDRRMO and the BonGH. It could be recalled that MPSPC previously donated a total of 103 liters of pasteurized cow milk to the non-medical front liners in 8 barangay check points in Bauko, the Luis Hora Regional Memorial Hospital, the MDRRMO of Bontoc LGU, and the Sabangan LGU.
