Davide to meet Daanbantayan officials to resolve loan spat

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III will meet with Daanbantayan town officials on Wednesday to discuss issues concerning the World Bank grant, which request of the mayor for the town to avail itself of was disapproved by the members of the municipal council.

Davide said he will mediate between Mayor Augusto Corro and the municipal council to try to settle the issue. He is hoping to meet all the officials to be able to hear both sides.

Davide said the pro-vince’s intervention on the matter was also sought by Corro, who wrote him a letter last month. Corro pointed out in his letter the refusal of the town council to grant him authority, which he said is a requirement before the municipality can avail of the grant under the Support for Strategic Local Development and Investment Project of the World Bank.

The World Bank grant was made available for 16 local government units in northern Cebu, including Daanbantayan, that bore the brunt of super typhoon Yolanda over a year ago.

Corro said the pro-vince’s mediation is the ‘last ditch effort’ to find resolutions to this ‘deadlock’.

Some eight barangay captains of Daanbantayan also met with Davide on February 17 at the Capitol. One of them was Bakhawan Barangay Captain Bernandeto Luche, who believes that the governor’s intervention would resolve the dispute.

The Municipal Development Council endorsed P885 million worth of projects to WB which include construction of drainage system, purchase of heavy equipment, relocation of municipal hall, relocation of wet market, rehabilitation of old public market and the modernization of rural health unit, water treatment facilities, among others.

As required by the WB, the town needs to set aside at least 10-percent of the total cost as equity. But majority of the members of the town council turned down the resolutions, including the one that requested the council to let the town take advantage of a loan from Land Bank of the Philippines to finance the town’s counterpart, because the identified projects reportedly lack detailed programs and documents.— Michael Vencynth H. Braga/FPL (FREEMAN)