THE Cebu Provincial Government is eyeing to pump in some P1.5 billion into the hardware industry in Cebu through its program to rebuild the houses of poor Cebuanos damaged by Typhoon Odette.
Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia made the announcement during her meeting with hardware store owners and construction material suppliers at the Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 29.
Garcia is eyeing a two-pronged approach in rolling out the program. First is to rebuild the damaged houses of typhoon-stricken Cebuanos, and second is to pump prime the economy by injecting this money particularly into the hardware industry.
The governor emphasized the “potential income” that hardware businesses can enjoy by joining the program, apart from “helping the Cebuanos rebuild their houses.”
She urged the hardware operators in the province to join the program, whose rollout will be patterned after the Sugbo Negosyo.
Like the Sugbo Negosyo program, indigent beneficiaries will be given coupons, which they can redeem at the Capitol’s hardware-partner merchants to buy basic construction materials such as plywood, galvanized sheets, nails and coco lumber.
The house rebuilding program will be implemented through the Provincial Board members.
Garcia has directed the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to set the suggested retail prices for galvanized sheets and nails; and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for plywood and coco lumber.
The DTI and DENR are set to come up with the suggested prices that are set to be deliberated with hardware businessmen, before the provincial government will sign a memorandum of agreement with them to formalize the program. (CSL)