THE ADVOCATES for Genuine and Outstanding Services (AGOS) fully recognizes that the City Government of San Fernando has good intentions in wanting to ensure public health, food safety, and proper medical standards during feeding programs, medical missions, and dental missions.
Sino nga ba naman ang tututol sa kaligtasan at kalusugan ng publiko? We all share the exact same objective: to protect the welfare of our people. To borrow the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln, we come before you today “with malice toward none, with charity for all.”
Hindi po namin kaaway ang Sangguniang Panlungsod ng San Fernando. Hindi rin po namin kinukuwestiyon ang kanilang hangarin. However, we respectfully submit that a critical line has been crossed.
A good intention, when wrapped in excessive bureaucracy, becomes a heavy burden on the very people who are trying to do good. Under Section 5 of this ordinance, a simple act of charity – isang feeding program para sa mga batang nagugutom o isang medical mission para sa mga komunidad na kulang sa serbisyong pangkalusugan – will be subjected to a lengthy permit and clearance process.
The Five Main Concerns of AGOS regarding this ordinance:
1. Too Many Requirements May Discourage Volunteerism. The ordinance requires NGOs, civic groups, churches, private individuals, and volunteer organizations to secure permits, endorsements, clearances, and prior coordination before conducting any humanitarian activity. Our concern: These heavy administrative requirements will delay or outright discourage charitable activities. Feeding programs and medical missions are often rapid responses to urgent, immediate community needs. Excessive regulation will ultimately weaken the beautiful Filipino spirit of Bayanihan.
2. A Dangerous Lack of Clear Standards. While the ordinance requires approvals and endorsements from local authorities, it fails to clearly explain the specific, objective standards for approval or denial. Our concern: This leaves the door wide open for excessive official discretion. Without clear guidelines, different groups may be treated differently even if they are conducting the exact same charitable activities.
3. Possible Violation of Constitutional Rights. We argue that the ordinance, as written, severely encroaches upon basic constitutional guarantees: the Freedom of Association, the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, and the right to Civic Participation. Our concern: Citizens and civil society organizations have a constitutional right to organize and conduct lawful humanitarian work. Regulations must never become unreasonable barriers to these fundamental rights.
4. It Runs Contrary to the Spirit of the Local Government Code. While the Local Government Code empowers LGUs to promote the general welfare, it also explicitly mandates them to encourage the participation of non-governmental organizations in local governance and community development. Our concern: If regulations become too restrictive and adversarial, they actively hinder and paralyze community service rather than promote public welfare.
5. A Dangerous Provincial Precedent. San Fernando is the capital city of Pampanga. It is the beacon of our province. Our concern: If these questionable and restrictive provisions are left unreviewed, other cities and municipalities in Pampanga may copy this ordinance, creating a domino effect that could shut down volunteerism across the entire province…
Hunger does not wait for government office hours. Illness does not follow an administrative calendar. Ang gutom at karamdaman ay dumarating kung kailan sila dumarating. At kapag may nangangailangan ng tulong, ang natural na tugon ng isang makataong lipunan ay kumilos agad.
Whenever doing good requires prior permission from government, liberty begins to shrink. At kapag lumiit ang espasyo para sa kusang-loob na pagkakawanggawa, unti-unting humihina ang diwa ng bayanihan na matagal nating ipinaglaban.
We want to clarify: AGOS is not asking that the entire ordinance be repealed. Batid po namin ang limitasyon ng kapangyarihan ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan sa ilalim ng Section 56 of the Local Government Code.
Instead, AGOS respectfully, formally requests this Honorable Provincial Board to:
1. Review whether the ordinance strictly complies with the Constitution and national laws. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called a special session of Congress on June 17, 2026, to fast-track several pending administration priority bills and among these is the Amendments to the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act: Expanding national school feeding initiatives to combat juvenile malnutrition;
2. Determine whether the heavy requirements for permits, clearances, endorsements, and prior coordination are reasonable or unnecessarily punitive;
3. Examine whether the ordinance provides clear, objective standards to prevent arbitrary approval or denial by local officials; and
4. Declare any unlawful or ultra vires provisions invalid, and return them to the City Council of San Fernando for the necessary amendments.
Perhaps a simple, streamlined registration or notification system can achieve the same public health objectives without imposing unnecessary barriers on volunteers and charitable organizations.
Huwag po nating ipitin ang kamay na nagbibigay. Sa halip, gabayan natin ito. Let government be a partner of those who serve, not an obstacle to service. Nawa’y maging katuwang ang pamahalaan ng mga naglilingkod, at hindi hadlang sa paglilingkod.
What we seek is not a favor. It is a strict legal and constitutional review. Nawa’y manaig ang batas kaysa labis na burukrasya. Nawa’y manaig ang Konstitusyon kaysa hindi kinakailangang paghihigpit. At nawa’y manatiling buhay ang diwa ng Bayanihan na siyang naging lakas ng mga Kapampangan sa panahon ng mga sakuna, krisis, at paghihirap.
Sapagkat sa huli, ang isang pamahalaang tunay na naglilingkod sa mamamayan ay hindi nagpapahirap sa mga mamamayang nais tumulong. Sa halip, pinapadali nito para sa mabubuting mamamayan ang paggawa ng mabuti.
(Excerpts from the position paper of AGOS on CSF Ordinance No. 2026-021: “An Ordinance Regulating and Institutionalizing the Conduct and Operation of Feeding Programs, Medical Missions, and Dental Missions…” presented during the SP committee hearing on June 29, 2026)
