Catbalogan mayor unfazed by graft charge over shelter aid distribution

TACLOBAN CITY, March 27 (PNA) – Catbalogan City Mayor Stephany Uy-Tan downplayed the complaint filed by militant group People’s Surge-Western Samar before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas accusing her of slashing the emergency shelter assistance (ESA) for typhoon victims.

Although the mayor has not yet received a copy of the complaint, the local government's legal office will attend to it, said Uy-Tan in a phone interview on Monday.

“If that is about the Emergency Assistance (ESA) for typhoon victims of Ruby (international name: Hagupit) last December 2014, the city was at first even hesitant to accept the assistance from the national government,” the mayor said. 

“The release was already two years after the typhoon and it’s not categorized as an emergency assistance. The assistance could have been in the form of relocation and housing, but DSWD said that the category of the assistance is still ESA,” she said.

The process, according to Uy-Tan, was tedious and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office revalidated those on the official list. 

Uy-Tan recalled that as part of the national government’s assistance, PHP110.191 million was downloaded to the city government on Aug. 31, 2016 for distribution to the families who either totally lost their houses or sustained partial damages.

There were 12,547 beneficiaries out of the 12,813 initial list who received either PHP8,000 and PHP4,000 cash assistance, she said.

“There was still available funds of PHP2.18 million because upon revalidation by the DSWD office and the local government, there were double entry, deceased individuals or unclaimed since they are no longer residents of a certain village,” Uy-Tan added.

“There are just people who want to create disorder in the city. We won’t let them be. We won’t let them continue to sow intrigues and disunity in the name of helping the vulnerable in society,” she said.

Militant group People’s Surge-Western Samar chapter president Rechiel Laylay filed the complaint before the anti-graft body last March 21, alleging that the chief executive violated the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. 

Aside from the mayor, the other respondents are city social welfare officer Nida Aroza and Lita Solis, secretary of Lagundi village in Catbalogan City. (PNA)
VICKY C. ARNAIZ