ILOILO City – The Local Government Support Fund – Support to Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP) will be rolled out in 42 barangays in the province and city of Iloilo this year.
According to Mossad Vincent Araneta, chief of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 6’s Project Development and Management Unit, the LGSF-SBDP is an initiative to help insurgency-affected villages.
The program provides much needed support – infrastructure and social services – to poor villages.
Araneta said each of the 42 villages – 36 from Iloilo province and six from the city – will receive P20 million from the P16.44 billion released by the national government under the General Appropriations Act.
For fiscal year 2021, a total of P840 million was allocated for 203 identified projects by the 42 villages.
In Iloilo province, LGSF-SBDP will be implemented in four villages from Igbaras town, three from Miag-ao town, 15 from Tubungan town, and 14 from Leon town.
The villages were qualified to receive the development package after they have been cleared by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, undergone the Retooled Community Service Program and were identified by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
All the 42 villages have completed the orientation on LGSF-SBDP, according to Araneta.
“One hundred percent of beneficiaries LGUs were already oriented on SBDP,” he said.
He added that the funds were already downloaded to beneficiary LGUs on April 19 this year.
“We are one of the first regions to receive the LGSF-SBDP fund,” Araneta said.
He asked the recipient villages to comply with the guidelines and procedures on the release and utilization of fund.
He said recipient barangays in Iloilo City have identified COVID -19 vaccination, immunization and other health-related projects.
In a recent released statement of support, Mayor Jerry Treñas said he has always believed in empowering villages by enhancing their capabilities and encouraging transparency and accountability at all times.
“By having them implement programs and projects that truly benefit the grassroots, we give them the autonomy to govern their people well,” said Treñas.
He also believed that the NTF-ELCAC’s budget will be a big boost to the development and infrastructure of barangays, especially those facing problems of communist insurgency. Likwise, he expressed his strong opposition to the proposed defunding of the LGSF-SBDP. (PIA-6 Iloilo)
