Guadalupe pleads for more funds, other barangays seek Cebu City government’s help

Health authorities from Cebu City have started pulling out COVID-19 patients in Barangay Guadalupe on Saturday evening, April 25, 2020. | Photo courtesy of Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City is asking for more funds from the Cebu City government as their funds have dwindled in providing aid to their residents.

Guadalupe Barangay Captain Michael Gacasan faced the City Council in their online regular session on April 29, 2020, seeking the council’s help for funding the needs of his constituents.

Gacasan told the council that the P3 million provided by the city for food packs and personal protective equipment (PPE) could only cover 9,000 families, while the barangay has 13,000 families in total.

“Nagkuwang gyod ang among hinabang nga ipanghatag. Tag ten kilos ra gani sa bugas amo mahatag sa matag pamilya. (Our relief aid is not enough. We could only give ten kilos of rice per family),” said Gacasan.

Councilor Antonio Cuenco said that Guadalupe should have received more aid because it has the most number of residents as the biggest barangay.

Guadalupe along with the nine other big barangays received P3 million for funds while other barangays received only P1 to P2 million aid.

Councilor Raymond Garcia told Gacasan that the barangays need not worry about the needs of locked down sitios in all affected barangays.

“Ayaw lang kabalaka kay ang city government can sustain anang nalocked-down nga sitio. Kung lock-down gani, supportahan gyod na sa city government sa pagkaon,” said Garcia.

(Do not worry because the city government can sustain locked-down sitios. If the sitio is on lock-down, the city government will provide their food.)

Guadalupe is not the only barangay seeking the city government’s help. The council members were assigned certain barangays to check up on during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Councilor Prisca Niña Mabatid raised the concern on the PPEs in highly affected Barangay Luz.

Mabatid said Sitio Zapatera of Barangay Luz needs more PPEs for the residents. The residents have been using cloth masks, which is useless in their situation.

“Unta ang syudad makahatag og PPEs sa Luz. (The city should provide PPEs to the residents of Luz),” said Mabatid.

Councilor Jessica Resch raised to the council the concern of Barangay Pasil whose officials are asking for the closure of the Suba Fish Port now that the area recorded a positive case.

The Pasil officials said the virus can be contained if the fishport, which is usually frequented by people, will be closed for some time. /rcg