• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The P95 million in financial aid extended by the Office of the President (OP) to the provincial government of Negros Occidental and six local government units (LGUs) for the recovery efforts after the onslaught of Typhoon Tino still cannot be utilized due to ongoing documentation processes.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said in an interview that the funds are on standby because some of the required signatures, including that of the former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, are still pending.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. accepted the resignation of Bersamin on November 17.
“We have not yet utilized the P50 million; we have to get the deed of donation signed. There is now a little delay again because one original signatory is Executive Secretary Bersamin, and right now he is not anymore in Malacañang, so there’s a problem with the deed of donation that we brought to Manila for their signature,” the governor explained, stressing that they had already raised their concerns with the OP and are awaiting their response.
Since Bersamin is no longer in office, the provincial government and the six localities are facing delays to secure the approval necessary to utilize the fund.
The OP extended P50 million in aid to the province and an additional P45 million for the six hardest-hit LGUs. It includes P10 million each for La Carlota, La Castellana, and Moises Padilla, while P5 million each was for Hinigaran, Isabela, and Binalbagan.
Lacson emphasized that they are aware of the importance of the funds for local projects and are actively coordinating to complete the documentation.
“We have to be careful in releasing this money because later on COA [Commission on Audit] could question us if we do not have the documents to support the said release. I hope they can understand that while we can give it right away, we will still face the problem if our documents are not complete.”
Officials are hopeful that once the paperwork is finalized and approved, the funds will be utilized immediately, allowing the local government to proceed with their recovery efforts.
The province assured the public that steps are being taken to use the extended funds to recover after the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.*
