City’s ASAP board seeks additional P10M fund

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City’s Accelerated Social Amelioration Program (ASAP) board is asking for an additional P10 million budget for its different projects and programs in the city.

The bulk of the amount amounting to P4 million is for the supplementary feeding program, which is the rice subsidy for 80 barangays in the city and another P1.5 million is for the Gabay Livelihood Program.

The ASAP board issued a resolution approving the ASAP Supplementary Budget 1 amounting to P10 million to support the additional feeding program and other maintenance and operating expenses.

The board furnished copies of the resolution to the Office of the Mayor, City Council, City Treasurer’s Office, City accounting Office and the Budget office.

For the City Council, City Councilor Margarita Osmeña moved to refer the matter to the council’s committee on budget and finance, which she heads, and to the committee on social services for its perusal.

Other projects and programs that ASAP wanted to implement are P873,300 for the installation and renovation of the Cebu City Community Scout Youth Guidance Center; P1.4 million for the halfway house for street dwellers with Cebu City Task Force for Spread for Better Life; P1.2 million for the renovation of three Kaoshiung buses for a temporary mobile day care center; P425,000 for the 8th Children’s Pasko sa Uptown; P300,000 for the seven job orders from July to December 31 for manpower support; and P200,000 for the profiling and monitoring of business establishment.

The City Tax Ordinance No. CXII created the ASAP program, which is funded with the Social Amelioration Tax Account.

Its thrust is to provide a collection and disbursement mechanism to ensure the maximum benefit accrue to those who are socially disadvantaged.

ASAP Executive Officer Fidelis Donaldo said the City Treasurer’s Office has endorsed the Certification of the City Accountant a total available balance of the Social Amelioration Tax Trust Fund at P30.6 million as of June 30.

“Under Article VI Section 17 (d) of the City Tax Ordinance No. CXXII provides that the ASAP Board may from time to time introduce new program of amelioration as the exigency of the time demands,” read the resolution.

The Cebu City Nutrition council recorded over 20,000 malnourished children, specifically in public schools.

Donaldo said ASAP provides seasonal feeding to the “poorest of the poor families and street dwellers that can hardly sustain the appropriate nutritional requirement.”

“To ensure social responsibility towards the weak, vulnerable and impoverished families, the priority tarte of ASAP’s nutrition intervention is focus in one basic need for survival, which is food,” resolution reads.

Donaldo said the city is facing a real challenge to combat poverty by putting people living in the streets in a place where there is hope for a better life.  (FREEMAN)