THE Cebu City Government will start the distribution of the financial assistance to the 80 barangays on Wednesday afternoon, April 1, 2020.

The fund will be sourced from the City’s aid for the barangays in the 2020 annual budget.

The first 10 barangays which are the most densely populated will receive P3 million, which includes Barangays Guadalupe, Tisa, Basak San Nicolas, Mambaling, Lahug, Labangon, Inayawan, Quiot, Bulacao and Mabolo.

The next 10 barangays will receive P2 million, while the rest will receive P1 million.

The City will turn over the checks to the barangay captains and it will then be up to the village chiefs how to spend the funds, provided they will spend 80 percent of it for food supplies while the 20 percent can be used for fuel, personal protective equipment, and other mitigating measures to combat coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The village chiefs have to secure receipts on where the money will be spent following the ruling of Commission on Audit (COA).

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, in a press conference Wednesday, appealed to the village chiefs to stop playing politics “in this time of crisis.”

“Politics should not play a role in this very important chapter in our lives karon, we are facing a very terrible crisis,” said Labella. (JJL)