CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri turned over 53 disaster response and rescue vehicles – the first batch of 81 such vehicles that the Senate chief pledged to the city government and different barangays – here on Friday, August 18.
SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri (fourth from left) hands over a ceremonial key to Mayor Rolando Uy (sixth from left) during the turnover ceremony of 53 disaster response and rescue vehicles at Pueblo de Oro, Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, on Friday, August 18. (Franck Dick Rosete)
Fifty-two barangays received one each and one was given to the city government.
Zubiri assured that the remaining barangays here will be given vehicles as the budget for them has been downloaded and is currently being processed.
"The disaster response should be started at the barangay level. You are the nearest to our people and the fastest to respond in terms of disasters, calamities, and other catastrophic events," Zubiri said in the vernacular during the turnover ceremony in Upper Carmen here.
Councilor Yan Lam Lim, president of the Alliance of Barangay Concerns (ABC), said these barangays that received vehicles were those that did not have pending liquidations from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
"Ang katong naay problema sa DBM, i-comply sa tong previous nga gi-download sa ilaha, i-liquidate (for those (barangays) that have problems with DBM, they need to comply first with the previous downloaded (fund), they need to liquidate)," Lim said.
Lim said he still does not have information if there would be another turnover ceremony once the remaining barangays receive their vehicles, saying that it depends on the Office of the Senate President.
A PRIEST blesses a disaster response and rescue vehicle during the turnover ceremony at Pueblo de Oro, Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, on Friday, August 18. (Franck Dick Rosete)
Nick Jabagat, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department, said that he is still awaiting advice from the Mayor’s Office when the P2-million vehicle turned over to the city government will be given to his department.
The DBM allocated P100 million for these vehicles under the Local Government Support Fund through the initiative of Zubiri. Each vehicle given to the barangays is worth P1.225 million.
Hazel Occeña, local government capacity development division chief of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Region 10, highlighted the need to acquire the necessary equipment for disaster preparedness apart from knowing the operation.
These vehicles, Occeña said, are valuable in rescuing people, especially for those barangays that are prone to landslides and floods, acknowledging also the hardships of some barangays in terms of their budget just to achieve their disaster preparedness.
Mayor Rolando Uy here thanked Zubiri for his support and initiative, underscoring the importance of these vehicles in disaster preparedness-related activities.
"Thank you for giving us a huge opportunity and making us feel the one-of-a-kind love and understanding to those people who are providing services to their respective barangays," Uy said as he also thanked the DILG and DBM.
SOME of the disaster response and rescue vehicles parked during the turnover ceremony at Pueblo de Oro, Upper Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, on Friday, August 18. (Franck Dick Rosete)
This was the second time that Zubiri turned over vehicles in Cagayan de Oro. He said that these are his gift to Kagay-anons who supported him during past elections. The first was in 2008 when he turned over several multicabs.
The turnover ceremony was attended by different government agencies and various officials from the city government and 52 barangays here.