Councilor Reymond Garcia
Cebu City Hall’s Human Resource Development Office will look into allegations that an urban poor leader sold medicines that were distributed for free under the city’s Long Life Medical Assistance Program (LLMAP).
This came after the Cebu City Council approved a resolution sponsored by Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia calling for an investigation into the incident.
The urban poor leader identified as Floro Enricoso denied selling the medicines.
“I welcome any investigation because I don’t have any idea regarding that issue and I’m not affiliated with the BMO. Naglibog gyud ko ngano na,” he told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview.
The program called for the delivery of free medicines to the homes of 45,000 beneficiaries in the city who are suffering from hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis.
Enricoso said he considers filing charges against those who accused him of wrongdoing.
HRDO head Attorney Marievelle Abella said Enricoso is not involved with LLMAP either as a City Hall employee or a beneficiary.
“There’s no way he has access to our medicines. That’s our initial findings but we are open for a thorough investigation,” Abella said.
Abella clarified that the program is not operating under the BMO but under the mayor’s office.
In his regular press briefing yesterday, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said the incident stemmed from politics.
“It’s basically inter-rivalry. Enricoso is a leader of one of our candidates for the barangay elections. So the others, namely Charles Tabada, are sowing intrigue but the guy is not even involved in the program. We checked,” Osmeña told reporters.
“Enricoso sells antibiotics which we do not distribute so its just you know intrigue. Election time, there’s too much fake news,” the mayor said.
He said he will instead fire Tabada for spreading intrigue.
Garcia earlier asked the mayor to cancel the operations of the BMOs, saying they duplicate the functions of barangay health workers.
But Osmeña was adamant in keeping the BMOs, saying they provide better direct service to the city residents.