Thursday, September 11, 2008 'Don't let goats project go'
A DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) official suggested that the dispersal of hybrid goats to Guadalupe’s residents push through, because it’s not easy to find funds for this project.
The DA is evaluating the goat dispersal project, as well as the distribution of seedlings, after Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) asked Guadalupe Barangay Captain Eugenio Faelnar to account for P15 million in funds intended for both ventures.
Cuenco asked Department of Agriculture (DA) 7 Director Ricardo Oblena to investigate and “cancel outright” the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the barangay and to have it return the amount.
DA 7 Director Ricardo C. Oblena said that based on the records, P10 million has already been spent for the seedlings distribution, but P5 million for the goat dispersal is still with Guadalupe.
“There will be no problem in getting goat suppliers because there are now several importers of goats in Central Visayas,” Oblena said.
Faelnar, in a separate interview, said that if Cuenco will insist on having them return the money intended for the goat dispersal project, the barangay will comply.
He said that of the P15 million, an estimated P9 million is left after P5 million was used for Cuenco’s seedlings distribution program and P1 million for rubber hoses for the mountain barangays vulnerable to droughts.
He explained that the goats were not purchased yet because he made sure the papers are in order; the bidding process also takes long.
Faelnar said he likewise made sure the recipient barangays already have goat houses and the officials have attended seminars on proper handling of the animal.
They built a goat house in Barangay Taptap for the extra number of goats, after four would be distributed each to the 13 or 14 recipient barangays.
The goat house, he said, costs P750,000.
Faelnar said the barangay received a letter last Sept. 2 from Oblena, asking him to return the remaining amount, with the option to talk things over with Cuenco if he wants the project to push through.
In a separate interview, Cuenco said he will cancel the project and have the money returned to the DA.
Told that he might just be going after Faelnar because the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president is a close friend of Mayor Tomas Osmeña, with whom he has a falling-out, Cuenco said the impression is baseless.
He said he has long nagged Faelnar on the project, while his conflict with the mayor started just recently.
Osmeña, for his part, said that Faelnar should answer for the project. He told reporters he was unaware of Cuenco’s seedling plantation and livestock raising projects in his district.
The mayor said the idea of having mountain barangay residents raise goats as additional livelihood seemed good, but he did not know the exact scope of the project.
“Let Jingjing answer for this, at least now we know that Tony Cuenco is doing something for the mountain barangays... Everyone should be accountable for what is being done. And anyone who wants to investigate should investigate,” Osmeña added. (EOB/RHM/LCR)
