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Thursday, November 17, 2005
Council OKs P31M for drive v. bird flu
THE Cebu City Council approved yesterday the P31.06 million bird flu funds that will help the City prepare for the virus.
The amount, though, is P16,000 less than the initial proposal.
Almost half of the total approved amount will be used for the renovation of the City-owned condominium, which will be converted into a quarantine center.
At least P6.27 million will be used to buy medical equipment and hospital beds that will be used in the quarantine facility.
During their session yesterday, two councilors suggested using the free short message service available online to cut down on the expenses for the information dissemination, but a City Hall consultant justified the need for P16,000 to fund the text brigade.
Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera said there were typographical errors in the breakdown of the budget, prompting the council to decrease the text brigade funds from P46,000 to P16,000.
Outbreak
Dr. Nestor Alonso Jr., consultant to the mayor and head of the City’s preparedness campaign, justified the amount before the council yesterday, saying that Cebuanos have yet to fully understand avian flu and its fatal effects on animals and humans.
Alonso said the City has to prepare for bird flu to avoid an outbreak of diseases. There is no case of bird flu in the country yet.
“We have learned our lesson from history when the entire Cebu was hit by foot-and-mouth disease in 1974 because of government inaction. We have a greater threat now because bird flu not only affects birds, but humans, businesses and the economy as well,” he told the council.
Info campaign
The council has been a subject of Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s tirade. He had accused councilors of delaying the approval of the budget for bird flu.
To educate the public about bird flu and other diseases mistaken to be bird flu, a budget of P3 million was set aside for the printing of 50,000 brochures and 5,000 posters.
Since the City’s condominium is still occupied by some informal settlers, Vice Mayor Michael Rama suggested using the unoccupied building at the city jail as quarantine center.
Once vacated, the condominium will be renovated and will have an external elevator and ramp. The repair works were estimated to cost P14.14 million.
Medical supplies
Hospital beds, laser thermometers, oxygen tanks and x-ray equipment will cost the City another P6.27 million.
The hospital in Barangay Guba would also benefit from the state of preparedness budget, with some P784,000 worth of medical supplies going to the hospital.
The budget also covers other expenses including diagnostic kits, disinfectants, vaccines and personal protective equipment. (LCR)
(November 17, 2005 issue)
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