• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 1,223 tricycle drivers in E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, yesterday received financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
E.B. Magalona Mayor Matthew Louis Malacon and Negros Occidental 3rd district Representative Javier Miguel Benitez announced that each tricycle driver will receive P5,000 each.
During the fuel subsidy distribution to trike drivers in E. B. Magalona, Benitez also announced that the government will also extend assistance to fisherfolks in the 3rd district of Negros Occidental.
The Department of Agriculture has started to distribute assistance to 5,000 farmer beneficiaries in E.B. Magalona, Victorias City, Manapla, and Cadiz City, Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto, as well as the cities of Talisay and Silay, totaling P13 million.
Malacon said the municipal government also distributed fertilizers on Wednesday to farmers in Brgy. 2 poblacion, E.B. Magalona.
As part of their austerity measures, Malacon said they will shorten the celebration of the Ugyonan Festival on May 1 to three days, and do away with the street dancing and Lin-ay sang E.B. Magalona beauty pageant.
The neophyte mayor said that by doing so, they were able to save as much as P3 million, compared to previous year’s budget, with the savings expected to augment their contingency funds to minimize the impact of fuel prices to the local economy.*
