* Cebu City’s distribution of 10 kilos of rice and fuel assistance funded by a P147 million budget may be delayed to December pending clarification on election restrictions.
* The planned late-September rice rollout for qualified low-income households is on hold while the Department of Social Welfare and Services revalidates DILG-provided beneficiary lists through field validation.
* Fuel subsidies for habal-habal drivers are being reconciled with City Councilor Jun Alcover's 8,000-driver list after complaints revealed an initial list of 36,000 names included non-full-time operators.
THE distribution of 10 kilos of rice to qualified low-income residents and fuel assistance to qualified habal-habal drivers in Cebu City may be pushed back to December as the City Government awaits clarification on restrictions related to the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Kenneth Siasar, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival’s Chief of Staff, said the City had initially targeted the first distribution of the rice assistance in the third or final week of September.
However, the planned rollout has been put on hold because of election-related restrictions on the release of government assistance.
Assistance
The City Government has set aside about P147 million for its assistance programs, including the planned rice distribution and fuel subsidy, according to City officials.
For the rice assistance, the City is targeting qualified residents identified as among the City’s poorest households, with each beneficiary set to receive 10 kilos of rice.
The Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) is currently revalidating the beneficiary list initially gathered by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which identified areas and residents considered to be in need of assistance.
City personnel are conducting field validation to determine whether those included in the initial list meet the City’s eligibility criteria.
Siasar said the rice distribution could proceed once the City receives clarification that the assistance may legally be released despite the election-related restrictions.
Validation
Meanwhile, the fuel subsidy for habal-habal drivers remains under validation.
An initial list contained about 36,000 names, but the City found that some of those listed drove habal-habal only as a sideline and had other sources of income.
This prompted complaints from drivers who rely on habal-habal driving as their primary source of livelihood and operate throughout the day.
The City is now reconciling the list with records previously submitted by the office of City Councilor Jun Alcover, which had an earlier list of about 8,000 habal-habal drivers.
The final number of qualified beneficiaries has yet to be determined.
The Cebu City fuel subsidy has been under scrutiny earlier this year because of questions over the size and accuracy of the beneficiary list. / CAV