KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 19 May) – Mayor Joseph Evangelista has sought authority from the legislative department to allow him to contract a loan of P140 million to purchase at least 15 units of heavy equipment for road repair and rehabilitation, garbage collection, and maintenance of sanitary landfill.
Evangelista submitted his request to the Sangguniang Panlungsod on April 18, explaining that the city government will purchase one road roller estimated at P9.5 millino for road repair and rehabilitation; eight six-wheeler dump trucks worth P60.8 million; two units of 10-wheeler dump trucks at P20 million; and two units of backhoe loader at P28 million.
The city is also set to purchase a meat van worth P3.7 million to be used by the City Veterinarian Office and the city’s mega market.
The city veterinary, according to Evangelista, has been granted a financial assistance amounting to P10 million for the establishment of a Class AA slaughterhouse.
“Part of its required support facility is the availability of a meat van, thus, our request for the acquisition of one,” he stressed.
The LGU also intends to purchase an excavator with dozer blade to maintain the sanitary landfill located at Barangay Onica.
Evangelista, in an interview with radio station DXND, said the inadequacy of serviceable heavy equipment is one of the main causes of the delay of the government’s road rehabilitation and maintenance operations.
The mayor allayed fears the money would be intended for the 2019 elections.
“No, that can’t be. Whether there is an election in 2019 or none, we will pursue this plan. We just hope the Sanggunian grants our request. There is no politics or elections involved here. This is for our people. Also, I am a very transparent person. You can also get updates of all our projects through the documents we posted on our bulletin boards at the city hall. All the documents are updated,” he said.
Evangelista said the purchase of the equipment cannot be taken from the internal revenue allotment because “if I do that, other services would be sacrificed, such as the city’s street lighting projects, construction of additional circumferential roads, and other infrastructure projects.”
The city’s IRA for 2018 is 500 million pesos, he said. The proposed loan is 140 million pesos. (Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews)
