By BOBBY Q
LABALAN
SORSOGON CITY:
Assistance to barangays and municipalities will continue despite the abolition
of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) which was recently declared
illegal by the Supreme Court.
This was the
assurance made by Congresswoman Evie Escudero as she met with some 255 new and
re-elected barangay captains from the first district of the province last
December 6 for the orientation and briefing conducted by two government
agencies.
In her message,
Escudero said the abolition of the PDAF, also known as pork barrel fund, would
not hinder her efforts to extend assistance to her constituents through
programs and projects that are responsive to the needs of the people.
“Let it not be said that my ability to fulfill
my duty depends solely on the PDAF,” she stressed, adding that she had been
coordinating with various government agencies to source out funds or to tap
their existing programs for the needs of the people.
“Even before I assumed office, the PDAF had
already been suspended so I had never experienced how to utilize it and yet I
continue to deliver programs and projects to the barangays,” she pointed out.
As proof,
Escudero said several school buildings in Castilla, Donsol, and Pilar are due
for implementation before the year ends.
Escudero
announced that she would be visiting all the barangays in her district again to
hold dialogues with the barangay officials on their priority programs and
determine how she could assist them.
The briefing
and orientation held at the Escudero residence in Barangay Buhatan was part of
the initiatives to tap existing programs and projects and direct these to
specific barangays and municipalities where it would suit the needs of the
people.
The Department
of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Labor and Employment
conducted lecture and forum relative to their programs and projects which
directly involve the participation of barangay officials and their constituents
like the solid waste management program, land titling, national greening
program, and many more.
The labor
department, meanwhile, explained the processes and procedures that have to be
followed in availing livelihood programs for marginalized sectors.
Simultaneous
with the activity, a separate orientation was also being held that day by the
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) for the Municipal Solid Waste Management
Councils of Casiguran and Castilla at Fritz Homestay in barangay Tugos.
The solid waste
orientation, which was also an initiative of Escudero, aimed to expedite the
implementation of the solid waste program in the two municipalities as pilot
areas.
Escudero
requested the DENR through Regional Executive Director Gilbert Gonzales to
provide shredder for the processing of wastes.
The lady solon
stressed that the solid waste program is a potential source of livelihood
especially in the barangays. – Bicol Mail
No comments:
Post a Comment