Residents protest councilors’ refusal

CEBU, Philippines - More than a thousand residents in Daanbantayan town trooped to the municipal hall yesterday to protest against seven councilors who stopped the municipality from availing of a World Bank grant made available to 16 local government units affected by super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

The subject councilors, Samuel Moralde, Zenaida Abucay, Juanito Ybañez, Marylou Pepito, Jupiter Ray Rosell, Bregidorietta Tancawan and Rex Novabos, were a no-show at the council’s regular session during which the residents protested outside the hall.

Vice Mayor Gilbert Arrabis Jr. said only three councilors were present – Chona de Leon and Emmanuel Benatiro.

Arrabis said among the items in the agenda was the letter of Mayor Augusto Corro requesting the council to re-evaluate and re-examine their position on the P885 million worth of projects to be funded by World Bank, which need 10 percent local government counterpart to be loaned from Land Bank of the Philippines.

A source said that had the seven councilors been present, the protesters would have demanded for the council to hold its session outside the town hall so they could observe how discussions go.

“Moot and academic naman, same reason, gi-dramatize nila nga naay mga tawo, useless man, it’s a waste of time,” said Novabos, president of the Association of Barangay Councils.

He had raised several questions when the matter was brought to the plenary for discussion last December.

Novabos contended that they have no basis, such as a detailed plan of the projects, to approve the resolutions submitted by the Municipal Development Council.

“Bisan kapila pa na mag-rally kung di i-correct pagtarung ang identification sa projects, tarungon ang plano, kinahanglan ma-maximize ang plano nga mahuman sa timeline nga April 2016,” he said.

Novabos added that he learned from Bogo City, which was also devastated by typhoon severely, that it only endorsed around P160 million worth of projects to WB.

“Gusto ang mga tawo nga maka-avail sa grant sa World Bank projects nga tagaan og authority ang mayor,” said Bakhawan barangay captain Bernardito Luche Jr.

Corro learned about the protest while attending a meeting with the Department of Health and the general assembly of the League of Municipalities in the Philippines in Cebu City.

The seven councilors turned down the MDC resolution requesting the council to take advantage of a LBP loan to finance the 10-percent LGU counterpart required by WB-Support for Strategic Local Development & Investment Projects (S2LDIP) Program.

Before the program could be started, the town must fulfill all requirements, which include an organized S2LDIP Team, letter of intent by the mayor for the town to avail of the program, and an SB resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement with LBP. —Gregg M. Rubio/JMO (FREEMAN)