Lapu-Lapu mayor sets rules for distribution of P5K aid to Odette victims

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan has set the rules for the distribution of the P5,000 cash aid to victims in the city of typhoon Odette . | CDN Digital file photo

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines- Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan has set some guidelines in distributing the P5,000 financial assistance to Super Typhoon Odette affected households. 

Chan said that those, who will qualify for the assistance, should come from an indigent family, they should own the house/structure, and they should really be affected by the typhoon. 

“(Their house should have been damaged by the typhoon) whether partially or totally,” Chan said. 

Chan also thanked the city council for approving the Annual Investment Plan (AIP), which included the P236 million calamity fund as financial assistance to typhoon-stricken families. 

Chan, however, said that he could not utilize the additional P66 million budget that was allocated by the city council which came from the city’s development fund. 

“But ato lang ipahibawo, nga ang approve amount will still remain P236 million not the P302 million. Gumikan kay ang P66 million. Gikuha to siya sa atoang development fund which dili siya pwede. Ma-technical malversation ta niana,” the Lapu-Lapu mayor said. 

(But we will just let them know that the approved amount will still remain P236 million. We took it from our development fund, which we cannot be done. We will end up with a technical malversation case with that.)

Chan said that he was not allowed to transfer funds from development projects to calamity fund.

“Ang manubag ana kung ato nang pugson sa pagbalhin, ang mayor ug ang accountant,” he said. 

(The person responsible for that if we will force to transfer that, the mayor and the accountant.)

Chan said that the P66 million that was added by the city council in the calamity fund, was part of the P76 million budget intended for the repair of city owned infrastructure such as the city hall, Hoops Dome, sports complex, city auditorium, City Hospital in Olango, among others, that was damaged by the typhoon. 

Chan also urged the barangays to coordinate with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) in releasing the P5,000 financial assistance to typhoon affected families. 

Earlier, Chan vetoed the ordinance that was approved by the city council on December 20, 2021, which appropriated the P236 million calamity fund. 

Chan insisted that appropriating the amount directly to barangays was illegal. 

“We have already the opinion of the accounting department and the city budget, kita tanan including the council nagdali sa pag-distribute sa maong amount para makabalik na, makabangon na pagbalik ang mga tawo. Kung iagi nato, ang proseso ana, moagi na siya sa budget, ang sa city budget palang, dunay 18 ka mga barangay nga wala pa maaprubahi sa council ang ilang annual budget sa 2021,” he said. 

(We have already the opinion of the accounting department and the city budget, all of us including the council wanted to quickly distribute the amount so that the people can return and rise back up. If we will follow the process for that, that will pass through a budget. For the city budget, there are 18 barangays that were not approved by the council in their annual budget in 2021.)

Chan said that if their annual budget would not be approved, the city could not download the calamity fund directly to them. 

Aside from this, the barangay would also need to pass a supplemental budget for them to receive the amount. 

The mayor also revealed that 28 out of 30 barangays in the city still have unliquidated funds. He said that the barangays need to settle this first before the amount would be downloaded to them. 

“So nagdali man ta, I’m sure nga dili madali sa barangay nga side ang pag-liquidate kay dunay uban niana, ang unliquidated dili panahon sa mga kapitan karon,” he explained.

(So we are in a hurry, I’m sure that it is not easy for the barangay side to liquidate because the others, their unliquidated cash happened at the time when the barangay captain was not yet the one serving his term.)

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