Mabalacat LGU worker backs Garbo’s medical programs

MABALACAT CITY — An employee of the local government unit has expressed support to the medical assistance program here implemented by Mayor Cris Garbo.

Jocel yn “Joy” Catungal, a worker assigned in a team searching for individuals with ailments in the city’s villages, said that many people especially those with medical conditions benefit from the mayor’s health programs.

She also belied accusations saying the mayor had committed graft after more than 2,700 job order employees’failed to receive their salaries for the months of November and December last year.

The local government hired additional workers last year and with this, Garbo had asked the city council for more funds to pay for the job order employees’ salaries, Catungal said.

The city council however disapproved Garbo’s request claiming that it had already okayed earlier a supplemental budget intended for the job or der s’sal ar i es.

With the disapproval of the supplemental budget, the JOs failed to get their salaries for two months.

“We will be happy if the local government will still give our two-month saralies last year. If not, its okay. What is important for us is that the funds were used in health programs and many people are benefited from it,” Catungal said in the vernacular.

The city government is funding hemodialysis of patients with kidney failure, chemotherapy of individuals with cancer, 2D Echo for heart patients, and other medical assistance for the poeple, according to her.