NAI urges city for counterpart in projects

CEBU, Philippines - The city government will have to find another source of funds to come up with P13.2 million as its counterpart in the irrigation projects implemented by the National Irrigation Administration in various hilly areas in the city.

The NIA recently wrote the City Council through Vice Mayor Joy Augustus, asking the body to consider the matter with urgency since some of the projects have already been completed while the others are in progress.

The city government was supposed to allocate P13.2 million as the Local Government Unit counterpart to NIA for various projects last year. In fact, the Council through Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias passed a resolution charging the said fund to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Funds.

The appropriation was not approved, however, because it did not pass the guidelines on the use of PAGCOR funds and that the said item, according to the rules, must be charged to the regular fund either under the annual or the supplemental budget.

Young said they will include the budget in the 2012 Annual Budget, which they will work on this month.

The P13.2 million represents the 25 percent of the total project cost of P53 million in 12 areas in the mountain barangays in Cebu City. The projects cover about 314 hectares of farm land.

The barangays where there are NIA projects include Adlawon, Malubog, Lusaran, Sudlon II, Paril, Taptap, Bonbon, Binaliw, Sudlon I, Cambinocot and Sinsin.The projects in Adlawon, Malubog, Lusaran and Sudlon II are already completed while the rest are on-going.

“Hoping the this matter be given preferential action considering that several projects were already completed while others are not under construction and will be completed before December 2011,” said Diosdado Rosales, head of the Bohol-Cebu Irrigation Management Office in his letter to the vice mayor. (FREEMAN)