Candaba helps local industries recover from Covid-19 pandemic

CANDABA – The Municipal government of Candaba is helping local industries recover from the COVID-19 pandemi c.

In an interview, Vice Mayor Michael Sagum said since there are not much big businesses in their town, their economic recovery efforts focused on different sectors of the community.

“We are still dependent on our internal revenue allotment, with an annual collection of only P18 million. Since we don’t have many businesses here, and given that almost all of our properties are farmlands, our farmers and duck raisers are the hardest hit by the pandemic,” Sagum said.

To help them cope with its effects, the vice mayor said the local government bought palay from farmers and eggs from duck raisers which they included in their relief packs.

“Instead of buying rice from commercial distributors, we bought palay directly from our farmers and have it milled to become rice. We also bought a total of one million pieces of eggs from our duck raisers. This way, we were able to provide relief packs to the people, while helping them earn despite the imposed lock downs,” Sagum said.

The official added that when the municipal government has utilized its funds intended for relief operations, Mayor Rene Maglanque talked to other mayors from Pampanga and Bulacan to consider buying palay and eggs from the town’s producers to provide them economic relief.

When it comes to the transport sector, he said the local government made sure that jeepney and tricycle drivers received the aid that is accorded to them from the national government.

Sagum said they also approved an ordinance waiving daily fees from stall owners and market vendors to the local gover nment .

“We did not collect any fees from them for one and a half months to help them recover. In fact, until now, most of them are still feeling the effects of the pandemic,” he said.

Lastly, the official said they also partnered with businesses in the town to make economic recovery more inclusive.

“We purchase goods needed by the local government from business establishments here.