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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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ILOILO City – Amid allegations of irregularities, Acting Mayor Jose Espinosa III suspended the chicken distribution livelihood project of the city government and ordered an investigation.
In a memorandum issued yesterday, Espinosa tasked Atty. Mary Joan Montaño, chief of the city government’s Internal Audit Service Office, to conduct the probe and submit her findings on or before Oct. 2 next week.
Espinosa vowed to act immediately on Montaño’s findings.
“If she finds something amiss and recommends that the project be stopped, I will do so,” said Espinosa.
He also looked forward to receiving “remedial measures” from Montaño.
Councilor Plaridel Nava claimed there were irregularities in the chicken distribution livelihood program for poor beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
For one, he said, the chickens were underweight and not 300 grams as stated in the city government’s contract with the supplier.
“We have to temporarily suspend the project while there is an investigation,” said Espinosa.
In another memorandum, he ordered City Agriculturist Romulo Pangantihon to submit a report on the alleged “wrong delivery” of chickens also by Monday next week.
Meanwhile, the acting mayor reminded General Services Office (GSO) chief Joren Sartorio, city veterinarian Dr. Tomas Forteza Jr. as well Pangantihon to see to it that all projects in their offices comply with the minimum requirements set by the agreed terms of reference.
In this chicken distribution project, each fowl should weigh 300 grams on delivery at a cost of P198.50.
“I want to see to it nga maklarohan ini,” said Espinosa.
There could have been a failure to check the deliveries on the part of the City Agriculture Office or the GSO, said Espinosa.
The chicken distribution started last month yet. This livelihood project has a budget of P3.5 million covering a total of 17,500 chickens. So far, 2,625 chickens have been distributed. Each beneficiary received five heads of chicken (four hens and one rooster).
According to Espinosa, no payment has yet been made to the supplier, Foodwealth Agrovet.
The supplier was allegedly blacklisted by the provincial government of Iloilo but Espinosa said as far as the city government is concerned, it did not have a bad record with city hall.
Last week, Pangatihon assured the public that all chickens to be distributed under the project would be weighed upon delivery “to make sure nga wala na sang questions.”
“Ang indi makalab-ot sa 300 grams outright i-reject namon,” he stressed.
He did not say if his office weighed the chickens that were distributed in August and early this month.
“As to the sizes, it is admitted nga ang pagtubo sang manok wala nagapalarehas. May size disparity gid ‘na kay may ara nga shooters kag may ara medyo hina magtubo,” said Pangantihon.
The city agriculturist also confirmed that the supply was negotiated because the three biddings for the project all failed.
The project is part of the city government’s Integrated Food Production Program (livestock component) funded under the Bottom-up-Budgeting program of the National Anti-Poverty Commission./PN
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