BAGUIO CITY May 10 – More or less a thousand students from Tabuk City, Kalinga who are stranded in the different parts of Luzon during the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) are now clamouring for the immediate release of the promised financial assistance to them by their city officials in exchange for their staying in their places instead of attempting to go home to their barangays.
Numerous students who are staying in their boarding houses in Baguio and Benguet expressed disappointment over the non-arrival of the promised financial assistance to them amidst the lapse of over three weeks since the same was committed for them to have something to use while abiding with the prevailing ECQ guidelines for them not to travel and be exposed to the risk of contracting the deadly Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The sources claimed that for the past several weeks, they attempted to made a series of follow-ups with concerned Tabuk City officials on the availability of the promised financial assistance to them but they were surprised to learn that the ordinance that provided for the funds for such aid had not been allegedly signed by Tabuk City Vice Mayor Bernard Glenn Dao-as despite the same having been unanimously approved during the regular session of the Tabuk City council last May 4, 2020.
The embattled students pointed out that they heeded the repeated appeal of Tabuk City officials for them to stay in the places where they were stranded and that the local government will source out the needed funds to provide them the required financial assistance so that they will be able to sustain their needs during the ECQ in the areas where they had been stranded but it seems that such assistance might not already be realized despite the availability of the funds for the said purpose.
The students appealed to Vice Mayor Dao-as to affix his signature to the unanimously approved ordinance so that the release of the promised financial assistance because they badly need the same, especially that their resources were already drained and that their parents could not send their regular allowance because their sources of livelihood have also been affected by the ECQ.
For his part, Vice Mayor Dao-as explained that he did not sign the ordinance for the said purpose because the same was sourced from the maintenance and other operating expenses of the local government instead of the calamity fund which is much bigger and other huge savings of the city.
He added that there are other sources of funds where the financial assistance to the stranded students could be sourced instead of depleting the maintenance and there operating expenses.
However, Tabuk City finance officers said that what had been realigned for the aforesaid purpose was the appropriations for MOOE for one quarter because the same could no longer be used for travelling expenses and trainings due to the ECQ and the upcoming new normal situation and not the whole MOOE of the city. Further, the finance officers are computing the savings from the personal services for the payment of hazard pay of officials and employees and future donations.
On the other hand, other local governments charged the hazard pay of their employees and donations to individuals and groups from realigned funds from savings for personal services and MOOE and not the calamity fund as the same could only be used for relief assistance pursuant to exiting guidelines and circulars issued by concerned government agencies to serve as the guide of local governments in the realignment of funds.
By Dexter A. See
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis