TABUK CITY, Kalinga – More than 29,700 households in this component city already received the first wave of relief assistance from the local government to allow them to be able to cope up with the difficult situation as an offshoot of the ongoing implementation of the extended Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine geared to fight the dreaded Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
Mayor Darwin C. Estrañero disclosed that the local government spent more or less P13.5 million for the procurement of the relief packs that were distributed to all the households in the city through the support of government employees, barangay officials and volunteers who work hard to ensure that the relief good will be able to reach every household.
He stated that the provision of the relief assistance to all the households was a recommendation of the city’s inter-agency task force on the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and that preparations are now underway for the distribution of the upcoming waves of relief assistance to the households in the city.
Initially, the local chief executive admitted that the local government was already able to disburse more or less P17.5 million for the procurement of relief goods, medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPEs) and food for the frontliners and volunteers over the past three weeks of the enhanced community quarantine.
With the extension of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine up to the end of the month, Mayor Estrañero proposed to the local legislative body the realignment and appropriation of more or less P28 million from the city’s available funds for similar purposes to allow the sustained provision of relief goods to all the affected households and the procurement of PPEs and medical supplies as well as food for the health workers, other frontliners and volunteers.
According to him, the local government is planning to provide relief assistance to all the affected households during the prevalence of the enhanced community quarantine depending on the availability of the city’s resources.
He claimed that for the succeeding waves of relief assistance to the affected households, the plan is to provide the rice supply and give to them in cash the remaining balance so that the residents will be able to purchase from the sari-sari stores in their barangays the food items that they prefer to allow the small stores to also generated income even at the height of the quarantine period.
Estranero stipulated that by providing the households with available cash, they will be able to help the sari-sari stores in their barangays earn the needed income and sell their available products to the residents considering that food is one of the prime needs of the people during these trying ties.
He called on the city’s residents to continue supporting the local government in the strict implementation of the guidelines that were handed by the inter-agency task force because it will prevent the people from exposing themselves to the highly contagious illness and spreading the same in the city.
By Dexter A. See
