Special concerns exec appointed for Western Visayas

CEBU CITY –– Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino has appointed Assistant Secretary Anthony Gerard “Jonji” Gonzales as the special concerns officer of Western Visayas.

“This is to inform you that henceforth, all communication and special concerns of all Departments and/or agencies of government needing the attention of the Office of the President and/or Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) within Region 6 shall be coursed through Assistant Secretary Anthony Gerard Y. Gonzales,” stated the memorandum signed by Dino.

Gonzales said his new assignment would give OPAV a chance to maximize its reach in the Visayas.

“We have been extending our services to the Visayas, and we want to expand and reach more audiences to serve more people,” he said in a press statement.

Aside from the assistance that OPAV can give to the local governments through coordination with the National Government Agencies (NGAs), OPAV is also planning to expand its Serbisyong Malasakit, a one-stop-shop for government services into all other areas in the Visayas.

“We are hopeful that through this, it will strengthen the relationship between the local government units (LGUs) and NGAs, and therefore, bring the Filipino people closer to the Office of the President,” Gonzales said.

As his first major project for the region, Gonzales announced that the Serbisyong Malasakit for LGUs would be launched in Western Visayas, with the cooperation of the mayors and the NGAs in the region.

The OPAV’s Serbisyong Malasakit Program was created to provide a one-stop government service that would take basic services closer to its constituents. So far, it has conducted more than 30 Serbisyong Malasakit caravans all over the Visayas.