GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/13 September) — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has released an initial P16.9 million in financial grants for the construction and development of potable water systems in various “waterless” municipalities and villages in Region 12.
Reynaldo Bungubung, DILG Region 12 director, said the funds represent the first tranche of the region’s allotment for the implementation this year of the Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig sa Lahat or Salintubig program.
He said the grants were specifically released to 12 of 24 “waterless” localities or local government units (LGUs) in Region 12 that were earlier identified as beneficiaries of the program.
The 12 LGUs are the municipalities of Alamada, Aleosan, Midsayap, Pigcawayan, President Roxas and Tulunan in North Cotabato; Alabel and Malungon in Sarangani; Bagumbayan, Lambayong and Lutayan in Sultan Kudarat; and Cotabato City.
“These LGUs have satisfactorily complied with the requirements for the release of the grant’s first tranche,” Bungubung said in a statement.
The official said the total releases for the program’s first tranche has reached P16,945,000, which amounts to 25.72 percent of around P66 earlier allotted for Region 12.
The region comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong Kidapawan and Cotabato.
For the remaining 12 recipient municipalities, he said they are presently working for the release of their allotted funds within this month.
He said they will be released after the submission of the documentary requirement to the regional office.
Under the program’s 2012 component, nine LGUs have qualified and received financial grants ranging from P1 million to P7 million or a total of P45 million.
The recipients were the municipalities of Banisilan, Aleosan, Alamada, Arakan, President Roxas and Mlang in North Cotabato; Alabel and Malapatan in Sarangani; and Lake Sebu in South Cotabato.
The Salintubig program, which is being implemented by the DILG, Department of Health and the National Anti-Poverty Commission, mainly intends to provide water supply systems for the identified “waterless” municipalities, barangays and rural health units in the region.
It covers two thematic areas: poorest/waterless barangays with high incidence of water-borne diseases and rural health centers without access to safe water.
The program is the lone initiative of the DILG enrolled under the national government’s Bottom-Up Planning and Budgeting (BUB) or participatory budgeting approach.
BUB is a planning and budgeting approach in the formulation of the budget proposals of government agencies, taking into consideration the development of poor cities and municipalities as identified in their respective local poverty reduction action plans as endorsed by the basic sectors and civil society organizations. (MindaNews)