TOWNS TO GET CASH AID FOR PROJECTS

DILG 7 official asks towns in Central Visayas to submit a list of projects that they want to be funded and to prioritize those that are greatly beneficial to their constituents.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will give P8 million to P15 million each to all towns in Region 7 for various projects.

Under the program, DILG 7 Director Rene Burdeos said that municipal governments must submit a list of projects that they want to be funded through their Municipal Development Council.

Burdeos said the funds for the program will be taken from the agency’s budget for this year.

Previously, the program, he said, was known as the bottom-up budgeting. It was, however, renamed as “assistance to disadvantaged municipalities” in 2017 and then to “assistance to municipalities” last year.

Burdeos hopes that the funds will be spent for projects that will benefit the towns’ constituents.

He said the cities are not included in the program because they are better off economically than the towns.

Aside from the aid to the municipalities, Burdeos disclosed that DILG is also giving assistance to provincial governments to rehabilitate roads.

Burdeos believes that by expanding and concreting provincial roads, local governments will help decongest traffic on national highways.

He also asked all local government units (LGUs) to support DILG’s anti-illegal drugs programs.

He said they are enhancing the capability of LGUs to fight the illegal drug trade through various anti-illegal drug abuse councils. These go all the way to the barangay level.