Pay powerbills of health centers
It is not the barangay’s responsibility to pay for the unpaid electrical bills in the health center of Barangay Parian but the obligation of the Cebu City Government.
This was the finding and recommendation by Department of Interior and Local Government ( DILG) City Director Patricio Gabuya on the complaint raised by medical officer III Paul Padilla when the city and the barangay refused to assume responsibility of paying the electricity bills of the health center amounting to over P38,000 since last year.
In the inquiry conducted by the DILG, Barangay Captain Jeremias Nuñez said his present administration has only about P2million in the annual budget. He pointed out that if they will shoulder the expenses it will drain their barangay funds and jeopardize other barangay projects.
Nuñez explained that the Parian health center is under the Cebu City Health Department (CHD) which has clusters of 20 barangays in each cluster.
Nuñez also informed the DILG that the city health center department in Parian is earning an estimated P10,000 to P15,000 per day for the issuance of health cards including the collection of laboratory fees.
The barangay requested the City Government to give them a share in the collections in order to augment barangay’s income to pay for its frontlines services but the request was denied.
In his two-page report, Gabuya pointed out that Nuñez was correct in his opinion that it should be the city health department and the City Government that should pay for its power consumption since its operation is income generating.
Gabuya also said that payments for electricity are not under the account of the barangay but of the City.
“The electricity bill is issued in the name of the city health department and not in the name of the barangay and therefore it is proper that the City Government should be the one to pay for such,” Gabuya said.
Separately, Mayor Michael Rama said he will be meeting today with Padilla to discuss the matter and said that the city is willing to help settle the issue. B. LAO/JPM