Corro insists: Relief distribution was fair

DAANBANTAYAN Mayor Augusto Corro said he has evidence to prove that proper procedures were followed to ensure the fair distribution of relief aid to his constituents hit by supertyphoon Yolanda.

The mayor said he has receipts to show that the 200,000 food packs which the municipal government received from both public and private donors were given “fairly to the the town’s 20 barangays”.

“In a calamity as huge as Yolanda, we knew there was going to be a shortage of relief goods and everyone will not be given the same as others. So what we did was to set up a procedure to ensure that the goods will be given fairly,” he told Cebu Daily News.

About 10 barangay chairmen in Daanbantayan filed criminal and administrative charges against Corro, accusing him of depriving them relief assistance due to their affiliation with Loot.
Cebu Provincial Board (PB) Member Sun Shimura, son of Corro’s rival and former Daanbantayan mayor Ma. Luisa Loot, also called on his colleagues to revoke a resolution last year which lauded Corro’s prompt response to the storm victims’ needs.

Outpouring

Corro said he doesn’t see any reason for the PB to take back the resolution since he is “deserving of the commendation.”

“The outpouring of help from all sectors shows their trust in our administration because of the way that we handled the situation,” he said.

He said the nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and foreign donors that gave donations “were given the freedom to choose their beneficiary sitios or barangays.”

Corro said the municipal government only stepped in upon the request of the NGOs since they asked for help in the distribution.

He said some of the NGOs or groups also preferred the local government unit (LGU) to choose the beneficiaries since they kept track of the donations that came in during the period.

Promises

“I did not even show up during the distribution because it was unnecessary for me to be there. I did not want to use it to promote myself,” Corro said.

Aside from Corro, charges against Vice Mayor Gilbert Arrabis and three of the town’s councilmen were also made before the Ombudsman-Visayas last month.

Another group of residents from the town’s poblacion also filed a criminal and administrative complaint saying Corro never acted on his “promises” to give them GI sheets, tarps and relief goods after the storm.

Corro said he believes that the Loot family “will move heaven and earth to pull me down.”
Corro, brother of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, said he’s also contemplating on filing charges before the Sandiganbayan against Loot’s previous administration.

Contractor

He said there were irregularities in the bidding processes and contracts entered into by the LGU during Loot’s term. Only a single contractor was awarded the town’s 14 different projects, he said. Corro said the contractor is associated with the Loot family.

In yesterday’s 888 News Forum, Shimura accused Corro of abusing his authority when he replaced several barangay health workers who have been in service for 20 years with his own choices.

“This is huge grounds for grave abuse of authority. He shouldn’t be appointing BHWs, the mayor just approves. It’s supposed to be the barangay chairpersons who appoint BHWs,” Shimura said.
Shimura also appealed to the private sector not to course donations through the mayor.