MAASIN CITY, Dec. 21 (PIA) -- For three straight days last week, representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) and the local media accompanied personnel from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to look into the status of development projects the agency funded.
The projects that were actually seen, or learned through interaction with concerned local government unit (LGU) officials, were financed under the assistance to municipalities (AM) program of the DILG for 2019, wherein many were already finished, a few still in progress, or in the finishing stages of completion.
These included two water systems that are still ongoing, 19 local access roads in which 16 were already completed, and two evacuation centers where one was finished, for a total of 23 projects spread in 18 municipalities -- city of Maasin not part of AM -- for a total fund allocation for 2019 worth P150,248,000.
Based on a DILG briefer, locally-funded projects are those taken from the LGU development plans that were formulated during multi stakeholders planning and consultations as listed in the investment program, but fund allocation was dependent upon the LGU’s governance performance.
During the tour, people living in the barangays serviced by the projects attested they have greatly benefitted from it, their life somehow improved, such as rehabbed potholed roads and expansion of a water system.
Delays were attributed to the restrictions of movement including delivery of construction materials because of the Covid-19 pandemic and unfavorable working conditions due to successive, continuous rains for days caused by passing typhoons and low pressure areas.
In spite of these natural forces, concerned LGU officials and contractor representatives vowed to exert best efforts to finish the project the soonest time possible. (ldl/mmp/PIA8-Southern Leyte)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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