Sa PBP Partylist, Barangay Ang Panalo!!!

By Mona Lagbas

April 3, 2025_Committed to uplifting marginalized communities, Partido Sa Bagong Pilipino partylist prioritizes grassroots development, particularly in coastal and rural areas.

The youngest ever former commissioner of Comelec, Atty. Goyo Larrazabal, left, is Partido Sa Bagong Pilipino partylist 1st nominee. At right is 2nd nominee Beaver Lopez. PBP partylist is number 91 in the ballot. Photo by Calvin Cordova

PBP 1st nominee and former Commission on Elections Commisioner Atty. Gregorio "Goyo" Larrazabal said that PBP will advocate strategic legislation that prioritizes clean water, healthcare, roads and access, and electricity.

PBP 2nd nominee Beaver Lopez, Vice President and member of the Board of Advisers of Rockwell Land, said that with the persistent water crisis, the PBP is pushing for the establishment of a Department of Water Resources which will oversee policy implementation and institutional reforms.

Other proposed measures that the PBP partylist will legislate include encouraging barangay-level rainwater harvesting and building stronger partnerships with non-government organizations to provide potable water.

"We have several proposed bills to help the LGUs and the barangays access water, utilize their water resources, and equally important, protect their water resources," Larrazabal added.

Before the election campaign period, the PBP partylist started distributing water filtration systems in many parts of the country.

To address the lack of medical professionals in many barangays, PBP partylist proposes enhancing the Department of Health's Doctors to the Barrio Program by legislating the expansion of the DOH's medical scholarships and mlre assignments of the one- doctor-per-town scheme.

"It's important because we need to have a robust healthcare system in the barangay because that's our first type of defence. That's what will prevent the clogging and overwhelming of our hospitals and clinics all over the Philippines," said Larrazabal.To improve disease management and accessibility, the PBP partylist will introduce digitised healthcare.

There's a lot of medical centers now, but not everybody has the opportunity and the resources to travel from their barangay to the poblacion. We propose a bill to digitize the healthcare system in the Philippines in support of universal healthcare. This allows the government to efficiently track diseases and manage health problems in the different areas of the Philippines," Larrazabal disclosed.

"What it also does, since it's a centralized database, is allow somebody, a barangay healthcare worker, to cross-check my data if I'm in Iloilo, and if I go to Davao, they can still access and verify my health records," he added.

Doctors to the Barrio is an ongoing program already, but it needs recharging due to some constraints like red-tagging and lack of benefits. You need to re-evaluate and add more benefits to encourage the healthcare professionals to join the program. That's possible through legislation," Larrazabal said.

Understanding political roadblocks in local governance, PBP partylist assured local government units of collaboration in implementing development projects.

"I think the areas that we've been able to visit and talk with, there's relationships already. That's why when we tell them that we're here to help when we win, you win, everybody wins, the community wins. Because it's not just the LGUs, but the party list that came here that will also help. So, I think that's a welcome sign for any LGU to be able to come in," Lopez said.