MABALACAT CITY -- An employee of the local government unit has expressed support to the medical assistance program in the city implemented by Mayor Cris Garbo.
Jocelyn "Joy" Catungal, a worker assigned in a team searching for individuals with ailments in the city's villages, said that many people especially those with medical conditions benefit from the mayor's health programs.
She also belied accusations saying the mayor had committed graft after more than 2,700 job order employees failed to receive their salaries for the months of November and December in 2018.
The local government hired additional workers last year and with this, Garbo had asked the City Council for more funds to pay for the job order employees' salaries, Catungal said.
The City Council, however, disapproved Garbo's request claiming that it had earlier approved a supplemental budget intended for the job orders' salaries.
With the disapproval of the supplemental budget, the job orders failed to get their salaries for two months.
"We will be happy if the local government will still give our two-month salaries last year. If not, it’s okay. What is important for us is that the funds were used in health programs and many people will benefit from it,” Catungal said in the vernacular.
The City Government is funding hemodialysis of patients with kidney failure, chemotherapy of individuals with cancer, 2D Echo for heart patients, and other medical assistance, according to Catungal.