LA TRINIDAD, Benguet June 08 – Members of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Benguet Chapter are proposing to concerned government agencies to download to the local governments certain amount of funds earmarked for various projects for implementation in their areas of jurisdiction to be managed and implemented by the responsible local officials.
LMP Benguet chapter Secretary-General and Mankayan Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong proposed to Benguet Caretaker Congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap, who chairs the House committee on appropriations, to make the needed representation with the Secretaries of national line agencies to authorize the downloading of some funds earmarked for various projects in their areas of jurisdiction so that local government will be the ones to implement said projects.
He claimed that the amount of funds that will be downloaded to the local governments will depend on the absorptive capacity of the city or municipal governments pursuant to the evaluation and assessment of the budget and finance departments.
Ayong pointed out that the downloading of available funds to the local governments for specific projects will definitely serve as a stimulus for the local economy, especially in rural areas where jobs and sources of livelihood for the people are needed to allow people to have the needed income for them to uplift the living condition of their families who had been heavily impacted by the implementation of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Yap presided over the meeting of LMP Benguet chapter officers last week to discuss pertinent issues and concerns of the local officials that should be given appropriate attention or should be brought to the attention of officials heading national government agencies.
The lawmaker welcomed the suggestion of Mayor Ayong and vowed to bring the matter to the attention of Cabinet Secretaries during the conduct of budget deliberations by the House of Representatives once Congress will resume its 2nd regular session on the 4th week of July 2020.
Congressman Yap said that the suggestion for concerned government agencies to download to local governments certain funds for projects that will be implemented in their places will be a good driver to spur countryside development and help in the overall efforts to bring back the vibrance of economic activities in rural areas.
According to him, what is important is for people to be able to resume their economic activities or go back to their jobs and earn the needed income to sustain the living condition of their families that is why government plays a key role in providing the needed stimulus for the resurgence of the economy not only in the national scale but also in the rural communities.
He lauded the local chief executives for their passion in trying to bringing to the attention of concerned government agencies issues and concerns that must be given important consideration by Cabinet Secretaries to help spur the economy after the slump because of the ongoing fight against the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Yap assured that all the issues that have been discussed in their recent meeting will be brought to the attention of concerned Cabinet Secretaries so that whatever actions that will be done will also be relayed to them once he will go back to the province in the coming weeks.
By Hent
