Sunday, July 29, 2007 To release or not to release
THE Mandaue City Council is studying the possible release of funds in the fight against dengue, which has already killed five persons in the city.
A resolution calling for the release of pre-disaster preparedness funds to address dengue outbreak was referred to the health and hospital services committee headed by Councilor Jefferson Ceniza, laws and ordinances committee headed by Councilor Victor Biańo and budget and appropriations headed by Emil Rosal.
These committees will determine if the council is authorized to release money taken from the City’s calamity funds to fight dengue.
Councilor Jimmy Lu-mapas is worried though that each committee will take its time to study the matter, pointing out that the problem is immediate.
He promised to follow it up and have it included again in next session’s calendar of activities.
3 things
“Ang anak sa usa nako ka leader diha sa Mantuyong namatay tu-ngod sa dengue (the child of one of my leaders in Mantuyong died because of dengue),” Lumapas said.
Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna said they need to know three things before they make a move.
First, they want to find out if the City can release calamity funds before a disaster happens.
One way is to determine whether there is actually an “imminent danger.”
Second, they wish to find out through the City Health Department if the situation is already considered a dengue outbreak.
And third, they wish to know how the funds will be spent. (How will the money serve its purpose or was the city health funded to serve that purpose.)
Fortuna explained that at the start of the year, the City allocates funds for the health department to address various ailments.
The vice mayor believes dengue was one of the diseases addressed by the department so they want to know how will this “pre-disaster preparedness” funds coming from calamity funds complement city health activities.
Answers first
The three committees looking into the matter will have to answer all these questions before they can authorize the release of calamity funds for dengue.
Last year, the council authorized the release of a portion of the calamity funds in preparation for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit by stating that the summit posed an imminent danger of becoming a disaster once attacked by terrorists.
Earlier this month, Mayor Jonas Cortes sought the Department of Health (DOH) 7’s recommendation on the status of Barangay Mantuyong.
He wanted to know if the barangay should be declared a calamity area so the City can access its calamity funds.
No word yet
The declaration authorizes the City to use its calamity funds for all its activities against dengue.
But so far, the DOH, through Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit 7, has not revealed its findings and recommendation even though they already conducted an ocular inspection in the barangay in the middle of this month.
Still, the City is actively initiating preventive measures through information drives and cleanups of canals and the drainage system to stop the spread of dengue. (OCP)
