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By URIEL C. QUILINGUING
Contributing Editor .

CHOOSING the 3,000 would-be recipients for cash-for-work under the national government’s risk resiliency for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Cagayan de Oro has derailed the program implementation, according to city administrator Teodoro Sabuga-a Jr. yesterday.

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Sabuga-a’s explanation came after two Department of Social Welfare and Development-10 personnel, during a Talakayan forum Wednesday, claimed they have not received a project proposal from the city government.

DSWD-10’s cash-for-work program coordinator Solog Macadato said Cagayan de Oro, along with the cities of Iligan, Malaybalay and Valencia, as well as 22 municipalities situated along four of region 10’s river basins, have been identified since 2015.

Macadato said impoverished residents in these localities are expected to benefit from DSWD’s climate change adaptation and mitigation interventions, aside from the short-term temporary employment.

He said that aside from Cagayan de Oro river basin, the other three are Agus in Lanao del Norte, Tagoloan in Misamis Oriental and Pulangi in Bukidnon.

Sabuga-a, who is concurrently the city social welfare and development office head, said they would submit Cagayan de Oro’s project proposal only when the 3,000 would-be cash-for-work recipients from the list of 14,000 Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries are carefully selected.

“During the orientation at the CSWD office last April 29, they (DSWD 10 personnel) required us to submit a list of 3,000 and that they must be residents along the Cagayan de Oro river,” the CSWD chief said.

He said that since the city has 14,000 4Ps beneficiaries based on DSWD-10 listing, then it was agreed that DSWD would choose the 3,000, subject to CSWD’s validation—that those in the list are indeed residing along the river, or are residents from flood-prone areas.

“The ball is now in their hands,” Sabuga-a told Gold Star Daily, adding that his office does not have a prioritization criteria to determine who, among the 14,000, should be in the list of 3,000.

He asked: “How can we explain if we receive complaints for non-inclusion and justify those who were included?”

Yesterday, the CSWDO head sent a letter to the DSWD-10, requesting for the list of 3,000—from the 14,000 4Ps beneficiaries, so that he can immediately direct his staff to immediately conduct the validations.

Meanwhile, city local environment and natural resources officer Armen Cuenca said his office would coordinate and assist the CSWD in the realization of climate change adaptation and mitigation projects.

DSWD-10 social marketing unit head Charmaigne Tadlas, during the Talakayan forum, said Cagayan de Oro intends to undertake massive declogging activities in its rivers and drains as the city’s climate change adaptation and mitigation project.

Tadlas said project is timely since the government’s weather bureau has already announced the onset of rainy season–street flooding and rivers are likely to swell and overflow due to heavy downpours.   

DSWD-10’s Macadato said his office is currently validating the performance of some 3,000 cash-for-work beneficiaries of Iligan City and facilitate payment within 30 days after project completion. Each beneficiary is expected to receive P2,740 each since 75 percent of Iligan City daily minimum wage is P270.

He said the DSWD would be paying a total of P8.220 million to some 3,000 residents who availed of the 10-day cash-for-work program, consisting of tree-planting, communal gardening, and street declogging projects.

Other project proposals from 11 other local governments are on mangrove planting and rehabilitation,  organic gardening, drainage system works, and dredging of waterways.

Other than making sure the recipients really deserve the temporary employment and income augmentation, the DSWD said the project proposals’ sustainability would also be examined.

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