Guadalupe returns goat project money

CEBU - Barangay Guadalupe yesterday turned over to the Department of Agriculture the P7.6 million intended for the controversial goat raising project, which the barangay has not implemented since receiving the budget in 2005.

DA regional director Ricardo Oblena said Guadalupe also turned over audit report papers, which are expected to shed light on allegations of misusing the funds.

The DA was pressured to recover the budget allocated for the Integrated Livelihood Project after it was never implemented since the money was given to the barangay.

Guadalupe was supposed to lead the distribution of goats in the mountain barangays of the city’s south district to create livelihood to the residents.

The non-implementation of the project recently caught the ire of Cebu City south district Representative Antonio Cuenco who alleged that there might be anomalies along the way.

Cuenco’s suspicions stemmed from a report of the Commission on Audit, which revealed irregularities in the utilization of the funds. Other issues also surfaced, including the failure of the barangay to submit audit reports monthly and the non-transparency in the distribution of seedlings.

Guadalupe barangay captain Eugenio Faelnar earlier said his barangay would return the money that was not used. — Jessica Ann Pareja/JMO (THE FREEMAN)