Soc: Talisay looks after its poor

CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez yesterday refuted the report that the city government has neglected its poor, saying the city “tremendously cares” for them.

Fernandez, in an interview with The FREEMAN, said the city has in place several pro-poor projects such as skills training programs, medical assistance, scholarship, housing programs, to name a few.

This is the reason why he was named as the Most Outstanding Mayor in Implementing Social Service last year, he said.

“Og makakita ka’s among facts, we have tremendous care for the poor diri. Believe me,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez’s reaction came following a report published in The FREEMAN Metro last January 3, 2012 which featured the plight of two fishermen in sitio Letmon, barangay Dumlog.

Felimon Lucero, 42, a former fisherman who is now a trisikad driver after losing his boat in a typhoon; and Ramon Sabequil, 50, a fisherman, who had appealed to the city government for alternative livelihoods.

Lucero earns roughly P50 a day, while Sabequil catches an average of two kilos of fish everyday, which he said is not enough to support his family. There are times when he only takes home half a kilo, he said.

But city administrator Richel Bacaltos said although there may still be families in Talisay of the likes of Lucero and Sabequil, they just comprise “a few percent” of the total populace that benefit from the city’s various programs.

“They (Lucero and Sabequil) are just a few percent…majority of the people of Talisay natabangan na. They are not aware lang siguro of the programs nga gitagana sa ila,” Bacaltos said.

The city has population of about 190,000 people.

Bacaltos presented to The FREEMAN the city’s 2011 accomplishment report which shows that the city has disbursed P1.5 million as payment for hospital bills of indigent residents that were confined at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Also last year, the city spent P4.3 million for the hospitalization of 5,696 residents at the Talisay District Hospital.

Bacaltos said the city has more than 20,000 health cards distributed to the poorest of poor and several relocation sites for the homeless.

“Wa lang na sila ma-fully aware sa mga programs nga gitagana sa ila,” he said.

For his part, the mayor does not believe local fishermen have nothing to catch in the city’s municipal waters, otherwise they would have come to him for help.

“Kanang ilang giingon nga way kuha di man na tinuod. Kana rang nay bagyo-bagyo siguro. Kung magbagyo moari man na sila. Adto na sila sa DSWD, diin hatagan sila og bugas, naa man gyud mi funding ana. Kadako anang calamity fund,” he said.

“Di man sad sila moari nato og way katalagman, kay makakuha man gyud sila,” he said, adding that they were already giving fish pens to augment their daily catch.

Fernandez said the city has never been remiss in its duties in Letmon, adding that hundreds of residents in that area has a relocation site ready in sitio Romahan, barangay Dumlog.

He said all these people have to do is go to him, and he will personally bring them to their relocation site.

“The city has ready relocation sites. Naa dayun lugar para nila, diri ra na makita sa Talisay, kung moari sila sa city hall, naay luna para nila,” he said.

The city administrator said a team from the City Social Welfare Office will visit the residents of sitio Letmon to assess their situation.

On the other hand, Fernandez defended the presence of Lancer Security Agency at the city hall, slaughterhouse, Tabunok Public Market, and Lagtang Public Market, saying the firm went through a bidding process.

The same with Vice Mayor Alan Bucao’s Perfect Clean which owns the janitorial services firm the city has hired.

“They participated in biddings. Number 1 requirement ang bidding, and they passed it,” the mayor said. (FREEMAN)