CHRISTMAS came early for Cebu Province’s village chiefs after Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia gave them P200,000 each to help fund projects in their barangays.
Garcia handed out the cash aid during the last day of the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (LBP) Cebu chapter’s year-end general assembly at a hotel in Cebu City on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
The Cebu Provincial Information Office said that at least 880 barangay officials joined the event.
Garcia, who was guest speaker during the event, said she also promised to release P2 million worth of infrastructure projects to each Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) presidents who attended.
Garcia said she was happy with what the Province’s ABC presidents did with the financial aid she gave them during their last assembly in 2019, such as the construction and completion of their own ABC buildings.
Garcia also reminded barangay officials to propose projects that have a lasting effect on their constituents.
The governor recalled that during the LBP’s last general assembly in 2019, she released new guidelines that prohibited her administration from granting funding requests from barangays if they just spent them on office supplies, monobloc chairs, tents and kitchen utensils, among others.
“How nice if the money is spent on infrastructure. Those (projects) that would last long and will be remembered by the next generation from the children of our children until the grandchildren of our grandchildren,” Garcia said in Cebuano.
The event was spearheaded by Provincial Board Member Celestino “Tining” Martinez III, LBP Cebu Chapter president.
Aside from Garcia, some national officials like Senators Imee Marcos, Christopher “Bong” Go, Sherwin Gatchalian and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa were present during the event. (ANV / TPT)