Brief Historical Background
The territorial area occupied by the Municipality of Lemery was once part of the Municipality of Sara, Province of Iloilo. It became an independent municipality in 1948 by virtue of the RA 197.
LOCATION AND LAND AREA:
Lemery, a fourth-class municipality, is an agricultural town in the north- central part of the Province of Iloilo, Island of Panay. The town’s link to the northern coastal traffic is a national road through to the municipality of San Rafael that extends further to the City of Passi, and finally to the central traffic.
The Municipality of Lemery is composed of thirty-one (31) barangays. It is in the North- Central part of the Province of Iloilo, Island of Panay. The municipal is bounded from the North by the Municipalities of Cuartero and Maayon, both of the Province of Capiz in South by the Municipality of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, in the east by the Municipalities of Sara and Ajuy, Province of Iloilo, in the West by the Municipality of San Rafael, Iloilo and the Municipality of Dumarao, Capiz.
RELGIOUS AFFILIATION
It has the presence of various religious dominations Roman Catholic, Aglipayan, Convention Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches, Associated of Fundamental Baptist in The Philippines, Seventh Day Adventist, Other Baptist, Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah’s Witness, and other Religious Affiliation.
MOTHER TONGUE LANGUAGE/DIALECTS
It has Hiligaynon, as a means of communication with of people being able to speak and understand Ilonggo, English, Tagalog, and others.
Health
The Main Heath Center Municipal Health Office is primary health care provider in the municipality of Lemery since there is no hospital in the municipality and 3 private medical practitioners. The main center has (5) functional Barangay Health Station to serve clients of the 31 barangays of the municipality and substation.
Every Barangay Health Station is strategically located, as it becomes the catchment area of the adjacent barangay, these heath stations are in the following Barangay. Nagsulang, Gerongan, Milan, Anabo and one main Health Center in Poblacion South East Zone, to date the sub-station are the following: San Jose, Omio, San Antonio, Almeñana, Marapal and Bankal.
To ensure healthy citizens, the following are trained health care providers who deliver various health programs and services to its constituents.
HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
The following are health care programs and services delivered to its constituents in need, to wit.
Maternal and Child Healthcare – Provides counseling to mothers as to proper breastfeeding and its importance. This program includes counseling of women of reproductive age on proper care of children, Provides free pre-natal care and post- partum care.
National Program on Immunization – Free immunization of BCG, Punta-Hib measles containing vaccine and Hepatitis B for Children under one year old. Free tetanus Diphtheria immunization for pregnant mothers and school-aged children (Grade 1 & Grade 7).
Control of Diarrhea Disease – An immediate intervention program to prevent dehydration of children. Hydrates are given free.
Control of Acute Respiratory Infection – Service focuses on the prevention of upper respiratory infections.
National Tuberculosis (TB) Program – Case finding of symptomatic TB cases and treatment of TB patients free through Direct Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS).
Cardiovascular Disease Control Program – Lectures information campaign by health workers on healthy lifestyle and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Blood pressure monitoring and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Target beneficiaries’ general population.
Leprosy Control – Case finding and free leprosy treatment and counseling. Target beneficiaries: Leprosy Cases.
Blood Letting Program – Biennial Mass Blood Letting Activity in the Municipality, this allows the municipality to stock blood at blood banks in the Iloilo City to save lives.
Rabies Control – Information Campaign Proper referrals of dog bite cases to Animal Bite Treatment Centers (ABTC).
Birthing Clinic – The Municipal Health Office is equipped with facilities to handle child deliveries. Midwives and Nurse are on 24- hour duty in a day cycle to attend deliveries.
Family Planning – Demand generation and provision of Family Planning services to all women of Reproductive Age with unmet needs, these include conduct of regular lectures and Counseling, Free Family Planning commodities are also being distributed like condoms, pills, Intrauterine Device (IUD) Depomedroxyprogesterone Acetate Injection (DMPA) and Progestin Only Subdermal Implants (PSI).
Nutrition Program – Identification of malnourished children and free feeding/ vitamin supplementation until returned to normal weight.
Laboratory Service – Routine laboratory test such as CBC Urinalysis, Fecalysis, Sputum Exam, Screening Test for Blood Sugar and Pregnancy Test, Hepatitis B surface Antigen are also available.
Environmental Sanitation Service – Monitoring of Sanitation Condition in the Municipality provide technical assistance to clients on environmental concerns and formulate recommendation for a cleaner and healthy environment, free sanitary toilet bowls, chlorine are available, and conducts facilitates water portability test.
Program on Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) – Functionalization of the Local Acute Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Council access to Testing Service Provision and referral pathways; and conduct of information dissemination to reduce stigma. Philippine Infectious Disease Surveillance and reporting system (PIDSR) to report, monitor infectious, emerging, and reemerging disease and to stop it from spending though proper infection control and management.
Mental Health Program – Identification of psychiatric patients in the municipality by a physician trained on Mental Health Gap Action Program (MHGAP). Basic Psychotropic medicines are also available for use in the treatment of these patients.
Community – Based Drug Rehabilitation Program (CBDRP) – Person who used drugs (PWUD) who were assessed to have low risk and mild severity of drug use and dependence were enrolled in the program to aid in the recovery from substance use and in their reintegration in the community.
Several health program and services delivered to every sector, morbidity, and mortality. Based on the record of the Municipal Health Office (MHO) the leading causes of morbidity in 2015 is acute respiratory tract Infection and upper respiratory tract infection in 2015 (see Table 14 for the Leading Causes of Morbidity for the Last 3 Years, 2015-2017). Meanwhile, Pneumonia is the top leading causes of mortality from 2015-2017 (see Table 15 for the Leading Causes of Mortality for the Last Three Years 2015-2017.
Education
The municipality endeavors to provide education to every student. There are 28 primary schools, 11 elementary schools, 3 high schools, and 1 college institution. It has 33-day care centers with at least one-day care center in every barangay and four pre-schools. However, the municipality is yet to have a hospital within its territorial jurisdiction. A nearby hospital in the municipality of Sara provides medical services in times of emergencies.
There is also the presence of Alternative Learning System (ALS) Center in the municipality, which started in year 2010. It caters out of school youths who stopped schooling both in elementary and secondary level. Student of ALS are given Accreditation and Equivalency Test, which they need to pass as a requirement to enroll in the next level of education. It also offers livelihood to those who are interested by providing trainings like welding, electronics Moreover, there is a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which started offering Courses in the municipality. ALS are considered people who are least, and last citizens of the country mostly married at early age who needs more concern, especially trainings for livelihood.
Environmental Management Sector
ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act also known as RA 9003 and the Section 49 – Section 66 of the Municipal Ordinance 2017 – 04 also known as Environmental Code of the Municipality of Lemery are the laws, rules, regulation and guidelines dedicated only for solid waste management within the territorial jurisdiction. Every Municipality are required to formulate a ten (10) year solid waste management through the Municipal Solid Waste Management Board (MSWMB), the main objective of the plan are the methods to minimize the solid waste problems in the Municipality of Lemery from at a source, practice recycling and into last final disposal.
The Municipal Government of Lemery, Iloilo created the Ten (10) Year Ecological Solid Waste Plan CY 2016 – 2025 with the participation of multi-stakeholders. This ten-year plan will become an effective tool in addressing environmental issues and concerns, protection of the environment, and practice the 5R’s: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and regrow philosophy. This aims to encourage all stakeholders to actively partake to achieve ecologically sustainable and economically zero-waste management.
The Municipality utilizes one (1) dump truck with a capacity of 4 cubic meters purposely for garbage collection. The areas covered by regular schedule of the collection of solid waste are the Barangay Poblacion South East Zone, Poblacion North West Zone and one (1) public market. There are only two (2) Barangays out of 31 Barangays are covered by the collection. Hence, other barangays, commercials establishments and academes are serviced as per request by the agency.
The Municipality committed to the strategy of no segregation – no collection policy. The Municipal Garbage Collector for disposal collects the residual wastes. The compostable waste refers to a biodegradable waste as food waste, garden waste, animal waste and human waste must remain to be composed within their individual or cluster composting pit of every household then use as soil conditioner. If not available, the compostable waste area collected and utilized for Vermi-Composting Project of the Municipality.
The Barangay were not reach by the collection of solid waste are those Upland Barangays. They managed to practice their respective waste establishing a composting area intended only for biodegradable waste irrespective household and the residuals waste of every barangays are transformed into trash in the bottles in accordance with the campaign of the Provincial Government. For more, most of the barangays has it owns Material Recovery Facilities (MRF).
The Municipal Government of Lemery believes in the proficiency of junkshop operators in term of the recovery of recyclable materials. Even in the remote areas of the municipality, the junkshop operators are willingly to buy the recyclable waste. Herein, the junk operator has a big role not only for business but also to reduce the increase of solid waste as well as a partner in SWM implementation.
The existing disposal facility of the Municipal are called Eco-park. It is located at the Barangay Velasco with an approximately 8,000 sq. m. One of the components of Eco-park is the Residual Containment Area (RCA) for the used only of temporary containment of the collected residual waste from the service barangay. However, Typhoon Yolanda damaged the said facility; the LGU is now on the process for rehabilitating the proposed ECO-SWM Center.
Schedule of Waste collection
Last 2015, the Municipality of Lemery established one composting facility located at the Poblacion South East Zone with assistance of the Provincial Government. The Office of the Municipal Agriculturist conducted an activity workshop together with the community to establish their own backyard-composting project. The composting facility was designed using local available materials such as bamboo slots, wood slabs, coconut leaves and others.
The Rural Health operation, which is under the supervision of the Department of Health, has established their own septic vault for the disposal of the health care waste generated during birthing services. For more, the Municipality of Lemery shall be responsible for the final disposal of collected hazardous waste coming from the rural health unit and other establishment with the guidelines of the concerned agencies like DENR, DOH and PNRI.
On February 21, 2020 at exactly 4 o clock in the afternoon, the province wide convergence cleans up conducted by all municipalities and cities within the jurisdiction of the province of Iloilo. The Municipality of Lemery and other sectors with the municipality are one actively participated on this campaign. A total of 1808.65 kilograms trash collected and segregated during that day.
In addition, an effective information, education, and communication campaign is best key factor to approach the issue of solid waste management towards the community. These ideas and initiatives of solid waste management in the municipality will result in operative, effective, and progressive. The citizens will notice the applications and styles of implementation of solid waste in the municipality and these observations will lead them to participate in segregation of solid waste not only for the protection of environment also for the sanitation and cleanliness.
Municipal Ordinances on Environmental Management
On May 15, 2017, during the regular session of the sangguniang Bayan held at the municipal session hall a municipal ordinance no. 2017 – 04 enacted. This ordinance shall be known as the “Environmental Code” of the Municipality of Lemery, Iloilo. This code is a codified compilation of existing municipal ordinances of Lemery relating to environmental regulation. Also, laws and policies on environment that need to be enforced by an ordinance are integrated herein.
