A TOTAL of P29.8 million has been given to select villages in Cagayan de Oro City to fund their proposed livelihood projects.
At least eight villages received on Monday, November 28, cash grants from the National Government’s Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) with a counterpart from the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) for the implementation of their individual projects.
Tignapoloan village received P4.1 million for its Enhanced Hog Dispersal and Fattening while Indahag village received a cash grant worth P4 million for its Backyard Production of Broiler Chicken.
The village of Balubal's Backyard Table Egg Production will be granted an amount worth P3.6 million, Pagatpat village with P2.4 million to fund their community-based vegetable production, and Consolacion village with P7.2 million for its Enhanced Food Processing Business and Mass Production of Occupational Safety Kits.
Also, Lumbia village received P3 million to recognize its increasing income of its Public Utility Vehicle drivers.
Bulua village with P2.5 million for the establishment of the village technical manpower and services, and Barangay 31 will receive P3 million, recognized their enhanced food handling business.
Elmer Wabe, BUB focal person said the release of funds is the result of careful deliberations and long discussions with the villages year-long.
"This budget is supposedly for 2016 pa, but daghan man requisites, mag-validate pa sa field kung tinuod ba ilang request kung angay ba silang hatagan, viable or kaya ba sa beneficiaries sa pagdala sa project," he said.
"But the role of the government and Dole does not stop after the release of the budget, all of these funded project, naay project working team which will supervise and monitor how are their livelihood doing," he added.
The BUB program, pioneered by the Aquino administration, is pushed in an aim to empower local government units (LGUs) and promoting people’s participation to decide what projects to be prioritized.
It has been implemented since 2012 to and barangays have been receiving subsidy to be used for the implementation of projects which will aid local government in better formulating poverty reduction action plans and monitoring the delivery of basic services in communities.
The Duterte administration has claimed it has abolished and replaced it to "Assistance to Disadvantaged Municipalities", since BUB was used for political purposes.
Wabe, meanwhile, said they are worried that this administration would scrap the project eventually.
"Dili pa siya klaro, dili siya definite, the idea is, this is an anti-poverty project, priority gyud ang low-class LGUS. Ang ingon, although dili pa klaro, dili na daw iapil sa BuB ang mga highly-urbanized cities (It's not clear, not definite, low-class LGUS are priority. Although it's not yet clear, highly-urbanized cities are excluded in BUB),” said Wabe.
"Dili lang unta maapil ang Cagayan de Oro, but in the event na mawala gayud siya, nagpasalig man ang mayor nga ipadayon sa local government nga level so we are confident that we will continue to help the marginalized," he said.
Ebba Acosta of Dole-Northern Mindanao office assured village chieftains that their projects will be sustained as the city government has pledged P20 million for next year's fund.
"You are lucky to have such a supporting city admin. The deliberations to realize this project has not been easy, it has been exhausting, but we hope kini nga funding, makahatag unta ug kausbawan ug makahatag ug kausbawan sa panginabuhi sa atong mga igsoon nga naa sa laylayan (In this funding, we can give progress to the livelihood of our brothers who are less fortunate)," she said.