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
VICKY C. ARNAIZ
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