PUGO, La Union – Concerned residents of various barangays in the municipality are now outrageous against the obviously politically motivated distribution of the payout relative to the government’s ‘ayuda’ program where most of the beneficiaries of the same are incumbent municipal, barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials.
A perusal of the list of beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) which will be given out tomorrow, March 4, 2025, showed that the recipients are composed of incumbent municipal councilors, barangay officials, barangay tanods, barangay health workers among others which is contrary to the social welfare department’s policy that the same is for the members of the vulnerable and marginalized sectors.
Sources from the local government who opted not to be identified for personal and security reasons questioned the Region I office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for its alleged failure to counter check the list of beneficiaries with the municipal social welfare and development office to ascertain whether or not the names that are in the list are the real recipients of the assistance program.
Other sources concluded that the list was allegedly prepared by some unscrupulous barangay officials who are in cahoots with the Office of La Union 2nd District Rep. Dante Garcia and DSWD Region to reportedly advance the interest of the niece of the lawmaker who is allegedly aspiring for the town’s mayoralty seat to expand the lawmaker’s influence to the fifth-class municipality.
The concerned residents called on the concerned government agencies to investigate the upcoming distribution of AICS funds to many municipal and barangay officials in the municipality and institute the filing of the appropriate charges against all those who are trying to use government funds to advance their own personal and political interests.
