BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Mayor Richard Jaojoco of Toboso, Negros Occidental quashed the claim of Councilor Madelene Dela Torre questioning the release of the municipal government’s rice assistance.
It’s politically motivated, Jaojoco pointed out, saying “the rice is all accounted for which is now 9,129 sacks of rice currently stored at the municipal gymnasium.”
Of the 9,129, Jaojoco said 1, 600 sacks came from the provincial government, 2,000 from the National Food Authority (NFA) and 9, 343 were commercial rice.
Jaojoco challenged De la Torre to “literally count all the rice sacks at the town gym anytime.”
“We are strategizing the distribution of our rice assistance. We do not know when this pandemic will end. We are only a third class municipality with a small budget. If this will be longer, I don’t know if we can sustain it,” Jaojoco pointed out.
Jaojoco also dismissed De la Torre’s claim that the local government unit received funds under the Bayanihan To Heal as One Act.
“The funding from the Bayanihan Law is P11,359,107 from which we purchased food assistance transportation and needs for our frontliners, construction of our isolation facility and PPE (personal protective equipment),” he said.
Aside from that, Jaojoco said they have P14 million for their Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund and the still unused 20 percent of the local development fund of the town.
“Our current fund available for this pandemic is P32,328, 916,” he said
“Where were you when you didn’t know about it?” Jaojoco questioned De la Torre, saying the councilor missed 12 sessions of the Sanggunian Bayan.
“She submitted a leave form only on June 23 which showed that she was on vacation leave. Can you have a vacation leave while everyone is under threat of the coronavirus pandemic?” he added.
Jaojoco called on Dela Torre to “set aside politics so that we could be one in helping the people heal amid these pandemic.”/PN
