Cebu province to implement road projects in barangays

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia present the projects and financial assistance that barangays and its officials and employees are expected to receive from the provincial government. /Irene R. Sino Cruz

CEBU CITY—Road projects and insurance coverage for barangay officials and employees were among the good news that Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia shared during the Barangay Captains’ General Assembly held on Friday at the IEC Convention Center in Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.

Garcia recalled that during her previous terms, the provincial government provided barangays with bags of cement that barangays could use in their road concreting projects.

However, the governor explained that they decided to already implement the road projects themselves so that the barangays will no longer have to spend for other construction materials and labor needed.

She said that the provincial planning and development office has come up with a standardized design for roads, which would be used in all future barangay road projects.

Aside from road projects, the provincial government would provide assistance for the rehabilitation of barangay halls, water system, daycare/ health center, community stage and rehabilitation of the barangay covered courts, among others, the governor said.

Barangays, however, have to submit a resolution seeking assistance for a certain project and program of works to the provincial planning office for approval, Garcia explained. She also asked the barangay officials to submit immediately, upon project completion, a liquidation for the financial assistance which they received from the provincial government.

She also announced several benefits for barangay officials and employees. These include group personal accident insurance for barangay captains (up to P120,000), barangay kagawads (up to P76,000) and for barangay tanods, health workers, day care workers and animal health workers (up to P65,000).

Aside from assistance for infrastructure projects, she also promised to allocate P50,000 for each barangay to be used for their social/cultural and sports activities.

The governor encouraged barangay officials to use said allocation to promote local culture in their respective areas, citing as example the traditional ‘bayle.’ “Let us restore our pride as Cebuanos by promoting our own culture and tradition,” Garcia said.

On top of all these assistance, Garcia also promised to allocate P100,000 for any project that will be proposed by the 962 barangays whose chief executives attended the assembly. “This amount is on top of the funding the provincial government plans to allocate for barangay projects,” the governor said.

She added that the 131 barangay captains who did not attend the Friday activity would not be included in this ‘bonus’ financial assistance.

The governor then appealed to the barangay officials present for the cooperation. “We should unite. We should do our best so that we can return Cebu to its previous position as the number one province in the Philippines,” she said in Cebuano./dcb