Ben Madilynn
SIXTEEN barangays in Cebu City each received P13 million cash aid from the Cebu City Government, while the remaining 64 barangays received P3 million each.
Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced that the City had already released P400 million in financial assistance to the 80 barangays in the city in the last week of June.
Garcia made the announcement during the flag-raising ceremony at Cebu City Hall on Monday, July 1, 2024.
Kasambagan Barangay Captain and Association of Barangay Councils president Franklyn Ong and City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera sponsored the resolution granting financial assistance to the barangays.
The recipients of the P13 million aid are Barangays Adlaon, Agsungot, Basak San Nicolas, Budlaan, Buot, Cambinocot, Kamagayan, Lusaran, Mabini, Pahina San Nicolas, Pamutan, Paril, Pung-ol Sibugay, Sinsin, Sta. Cruz, and Sudlon I.
In a previous report by SunStar Cebu, Ong said all barangays were supposed to receive an equal amount of P5 million each, but he said Mayor Michael Rama (who is now serving a six-month preventive suspension) might have realized that some barangays had a much smaller annual budget, especially the mountain barangays.
Barangays Basak San Nicolas, Kamagayan, Pahina San Nicolas, and Sta. Cruz are not mountain barangays.
The financial assistance is part of the city’s annual budget, with the office of the mayor determining the amount allocated to each barangay.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach Ong to ask how the City selected the barangays that will receive the P13 million, but messages remained unanswered as of press time. / ELIANAH URSAL AND KENNETH KING GONZALES, UP CEBU INTERNS
