TOBOSO Mayor Richard Jaojoco said that the accusations made by a town councilor are "politically motivated."
Jaojoco, in a press conference Thursday, July 9, 2020, said that contrary to the claims of Councilor Madelene dela Torre questioning the release of the municipal government's rice assistance, all are "accounted for which is now 9,129 sacks of rice currently stored at the municipal gymnasium."
The mayor said that he is challenging De la Torre to literally count all the rice sacks at the town gym anytime.
"What we are doing in the municipal government is strategizing the distribution of our rice assistance. We do not know when this pandemic will end. We are only a third-class municipality with a small budget. If this will be longer, I don't know if we can sustain it," Jaojoco pointed out.
He also said that De la Torre also claimed that Toboso received funds under the Bayanihan To Heal as One Act.
"The funding from the Bayanihan Law is P11,359,107 from which we purchased food assistance, transportation and needs for our frontliners, construction of our isolation facility and PPEs," he also said.
Aside from that, Jaojoco said they have P14 million for their Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund and the still unused 20 percent of the local development fund of the town.
"Our current fund available for this pandemic is P32,328,916," he said.
"I do know why the councilor does not know about that since the record is available to her," Jaojoco said.
He questioned De la Torre: "where were you, why you don't know about it?"
Jajoco said that the councilor missed 12 sessions of the Sanggunian Bayan.
"She submitted a leave form only on June 23, which showed that she was on vacation leave. Can you have a vacation leave while everyone is under threat of the coronavirus pandemic?" He added.
Jaojoco called on De la Torre "to set aside politics so that we could be one in helping the people heal amid this pandemic."