MABALACAT City Mayor Cris Garbo said the City Government is planning to provide assistance to more than 27,000 families that failed to qualify under the national government’s social amelioration program (SAP).
In an interview, the mayor said the national government allotted cash assistance to 13,450 families in the city but the actual number of households that needs assistance reached more than 57,000.
“Our target beneficiaries dapat dito sa ating talaan ng ating National Housing Targetting System ay 57,000 plus. But the national government only allotted 13,450 families for the city, so we have a difference of 27,000 na punuan. Yun po ang magiging dilemma namin ngayon dito sa ating siyudad,” Garbo said.
With this, the city government is set to appropriate some of its funds to provide assistance to the remaining 27,000 plus families, according to the local chief executive.
“We are tring our best on our own budget, pupunuan po natin yun, kung hindi man katulad nung sa national government at least mayroong matatanggap yung 27,00 plus families,” Garbo said.
The mayor at the same time said the local government is set to conduct mass testing among the persons under monitoring (PUMs) and persons under investigation (PUIs) next week to determine who among them are virus carriers.
The Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (JBL) and The Medical City Clark (TMC Clark) were designated as test center, according to the mayor.
The city government targets around 100 to 200 individuals to undergo Covid-19 test everyday, according to Garbo.
“We are hoping to initiate our mass testing, siguro mag start na tayo ng 100 to 200 per day and based sa ating data hindi naman ganoon kalaki pa ang ating mga PUMs because out of the 804 na mino-monitor natin there are already 607 who had completed their quarantine,” the local chief executive said.
The city has recorded so far two Covid-19 cases in Barangays Mabiga and Santa Ines.