City barangays getting P200K financial aid each

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City’s 80 barangays are now receiving assistance from the national government after the release of a ?16?million check addressed to the city government account.

Mayor Nestor Archival, together with Liga ng mga Barangay-Cebu City President Franklyn Ong, formally received the check from the Office of the President’s Socio?Civic Projects Fund earlier this month.

Archival then instructed City Treasurer Emma Villarete to immediately disburse the money, fulfilling his pledge during his State of the City Address that aid would reach barangays without delay.

Each barangay was allocated ?200,000, divided into two parts: ?100,000 for education and ?100,000 for social service equipment.

The education component was released directly to barangays, with barangay captains instructed to award ?20,000 each to five deserving college students.

LnB?Cebu City secretary and Kalubihan barangay captain Rex Millan said that while some residents felt the limitation to five scholars was unfair, barangays were simply following national guidelines.

He encouraged families to also seek assistance from other officials and agencies.

San Nicolas Proper Barangay Captain Clifford Niñal said they prioritized students who were eager to study and came from poor households, ensuring the scholarships reached those most in need.

The other ?100,000, intended for tents and monobloc chairs, will not be released directly to barangays accordingly. Instead, the LnB-Cebu City chapter will purchase the equipment in bulk and distribute it to barangays to avoid possible Commission on Audit flagging.

Barangay captains agreed to procure tents and chairs noting that many of them lacked sufficient supplies.

Millan pointed out that borrowed social service equipment from the barangays often returned damaged or not at all, leaving barangays struggling to meet requests.

Residents frequently borrow tents for different occasions, including even on birthdays leading officials to remark that barangay offices have sometimes been treated “like catering services”.

The Socio?Civic Projects Fund, administered by the Office of the President, is a discretionary program designed to support local governments with small?scale but high?impact projects.

It has historically funded scholarships, health stations, multipurpose halls, livelihood initiatives, and disaster recovery efforts.

Earlier this year, the fund was tapped to assist earthquake?hit provinces in Mindanao, underscoring its role in community development and emergency response. — (FREEMAN)