Daanbantayan Mayor Augusto Corro went to Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III last Friday to hand over his two-page letter asking for the governor’s help in securing World Bank-funding for rehabilitation projects in his town.
“Mangayo lang ko’g tabang just like Talisay, ingon ana lang. Looking forward ko nga makatabang si Guv (I would ask for help just like Talisay City, that’s just it. Looking forward to the governor’s help),” Corro said.
The mayor sought P885 million to fund post-Yolanda rehabilitation projects under the World Bank’s Support for Strategic Local Development and Investment Projects (S2LDIP). The World Bank allocated $250 million for these projects.
The Daanbantayan municipal council rejected Corro’s proposal for World Bank-funding and the mayor said he went straight to Davide for help because he believed the rejection is politically motivated.
Among the projects being pursued by Corro are the P500-million drainage system, P55 million for heavy equipment, P200 million for the relocation of municipal hall, P20 million for the wet market and P70 million for solid waste management.
Initiative
Corro compared the Daanbantayan municipal council’s rejection of his proposed World Bank-funding assistance to the Talisay City Council’s rejection of the P1-billion budget proposed by Talisay City Mayor Johnny V. delos Reyes.
Delos Reyes sought help from the provincial government after the council reduced his proposed budget to P539 million.
Davide said he hopes that the council would consider Corro’s initiative regardless of political differences.
“I hope the council, majority of which belong to a different political party, would realize nga ang initiative ni mayor nga mo-loan unta sa World Bank, di kaayo gasto kay 10 percent ra man ang equity sa municipality (that the mayor’s initiative to secure a loan from the World Bank won’t be costly because the municipality has only 10 percent equity),” Davide said.