THE Mandaue City Government is set to resolve the issue of unsold rice stocks with the Province of Cebu by converting the matter into financial assistance for the city.
Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano confirmed that discussions with Governor Pamela Baricuatro have led to an arrangement where the unsold rice will be treated as aid.
“Governor Pam told us that this is financial assistance to the city, so we will be the ones to dispose of it if there are those who request, as long as it is not fit for human consumption,” Ouano said.
According to him, the City is expecting P13 million in assistance, with an additional P2 million from the City Council under Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede for specific projects.
“They even asked for a menu of what we can do with the P13 million. Most of it is in kind, but we asked if it could be converted into vehicles. For example, if you saw our bus donated to the MCCI, we were happy to have it. If the P13 million can add another one, or maybe two units, it would make the city even happier,” Ouano said.
The mayor said no final guidelines have been issued by the Capitol, but he expressed gratitude for the assistance.
“We are very happy to Governor Pam for welcoming us,” he said.
Ouano also clarified how part of the rice sales was already settled.
“If you divide one million by 2,000, that is almost 794. So we really need to pay the remaining balance of around 300 to the province. The 397 has already been cleared, even without a MOA. We are happy because one of the considerations in granting us assistance is that the City does not have outstanding uncredited balances,” he said.
He recalled joking with the governor during their discussions. “I told Gov, ‘I know you have a lot of LGUs to help, 51 in all and many of them are smaller than us. But even so, you still did not refuse to assist us.’ We are thankful that help was extended through Board Members Olen and Malcolm,” Ouano shared.
Universities, including Cebu Doctors University, have requested portions of the rice.
However, Ouano emphasized that they must submit formal requests and sign waivers before receiving supplies, which will not be distributed for human consumption.
“If not suitable, we are free to dispose of it, but I did not allow disposal until everything is finalized with the Capitol so that the matter can be settled properly,” the mayor added. (ABC)