New disaster center opposed

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City will create what it will call the Barangay Disaster Control Center (BDCC) to centralize distribution of assistance to victims of calamities here.

In an executive order dated August 28, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said BDCC will be under the administrative supervision of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office in coordination with the Barangay Affairs Office.

The office is expected to render immediate assistance and services to calamity victims by coordinating agencies of government concerned and supervising the operation of welfare and community assistance agencies, among others.

At the City Council, however, Councilor Raymond Garcia, vice chairman of the committee on budget and finance, opposed the P32.4 million budget for the honoraria of job order workers the city will hire for BDCC.

The amount is part of the P350.8 million budget of CCDRRMO for 2017.

Garcia argued that BDCC would duplicate the barangay disaster council.

 "This is a duplication of the job of the barangays and a waste of government resources. You're trying to disguise BMOs (barangay mayor's offices) through a barangay disaster office. It can't be done. I will not allow this to happen," Garcia said.

"This is really being politicized. We are not only spending useless money to duplicate what the barangay hall is doing. But we are also promoting animosity among our constituents down the barangay level, letting them campaign for the 2017 barangay elections. That's exactly what they're doing," he added. (FREEMAN)