KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/ 04 April) — The Sangguniang Panlungsod here on Friday authorized the city mayor to release additional funds of 29.1 million pesos for food aid to some 43,000 low-income households affected by the crisis brought about by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Vice Mayor Jivy Roe Bombeo, presiding officer of the Sanggunian, said.
The city is still reeling from major economic setbacks due to the series of above-Magnitude 6 earthquakes in the last quarter of 2019.
Mayor Joseph Evangelista, in an interview, said the money would be sourced out from the 20 percent Economic Development Fund (EDF) for calendar year 2020 and would be used for another round of food rationing to some 43,000 poor households in the city as he ordered an extension of the community quarantine for another two weeks.
The quarantine started on March 16.
He admitted, though, the city government has difficulty looking for suppliers of commercial rice, cans of sardines, beef loaf, and corned beef due to limited stocks in the market.
He said they contacted a supplier of sardines in Zamboanga City to provide them the needed food items.
“We already bought our rice stocks from the National Food Authority and others from private traders. We can’t find enough stock for canned sardines, beef loaf, and corned beef, that’s why we opted for frozen chicken for our food relief packs to 43 thousand families,” he explained.
The first phase of relief distribution started April 2 and would end on Monday, April 6.
Evangelista said he also intends to purchase agricultural products from the local farmers to help them recover from their losses due to the crisis.
He said these products, including fruits, vegetables, and root crops would be prepared as food packs to thousands of their frontliners in the health sector, the police, soldiers, and traffic enforcers. (Malu Cadelina Manar / MindaNews)
