Eleven towns will soon receive P79 million for 21 development projects from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under the Assistance to Municipalities (AM) Program for 2019 as soon as the proposed priority projects are approved.
The outlay is part of the P11.714-billion earmarked by the DILG this year to finance local development projects in 1,373 municipalities across the country.
A listing of the projects from the DILG Catanduanes provincial office shows the following proposed projects for each of the nine recipient municipalities:
Bagamanoc: 1) Local Road Opening at barangay Salvacion (500-meter access road), P4,311,000; and, 2) Rehabilitation/Improvement of Level II Potable Water System at Magsaysay, P1,700,000.
Baras: 1) Improvement of P. Teston-Putsan Local Access Road (229.70-meter road concreting), P3,708,556.95; and, 2) Improvement of Guinsaanan Local Access Road (422.90-meter road concreting).
Bato: 1) DRR-Related Equipment (1 unit 4x4 pick-up vehicle), P2,800,000; and, 2) DRR-Related Equipment (1 unit multi-purpose vehicle).
Caramoran: 1) Concreting of Local Access Road at Toytoy (1.1-km road concreting), P5,000,000; 2) Rehabilitation/Improvement of Level II Potable Water System at Pinaglapaan in Tubli, P2,000,000; and, 3) Construction of 20m x 6m Bridge at Tucao, P10,000,000.
Gigmoto: 1) Rehabilitation of Local Access Road with Drainage Improvement at Sioron (300-meter road concreting with drainage system), P5,945,000.
Pandan: 1) Local Access Road Rehabilitation/Improvement at Napo (418-meter road concreting), P5,023,000.
Panganiban: 1) Upgrading of Local Access Road at San Gregorio St. in Sta. Ana and Salvacion (471-meter road concreting with covered drainage system), P9,480,000.
San Andres: 1) Construction of New Evacuation Center at Alibuag (2-storey building with total area of 264 sq. meters), P5,360,000.
San Miguel: 1) Local Road Rehabilitation/Improvement at Dayawa to Siay (rehab of 1-km gravel road), P2,599,000; 2) Road Concreting at Tobrehon to J.M. Alberto (100-meter road concreting), P1,500,000; 3) Local Road Opening at San Marcos (300 meters), P2,500,000; 4) Road Concreting at San Marcos (150-meter road concreting with RC pipe culvert), P1,500,000; and, 5) Road Concreting at Mabato to Sogod (100-meter road concreting with RC pipe culvert), P1,500,000.
Viga: 1) Local Access Road Rehabilitation/Improvement at sitio Manaros in Tinago (400-meter road concreting), P4,220,000; and, 2) Local Access Road Upgrading at Burgos (200-meter road concreting), P2,000,000.
Virac: 1) Rehabilitation of Local Access Road with Drainage Improvement at Real St. in Calatagan Proper (518-meter road concreting with drainage canals), P7,292,000.
Bagamanoc is supposed to have allocated P500,000 as its counterpart for its two projects while Caramoran will put up P7,089,000 as its counterpart for the Tucao bridge project.
DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said that the AM program covers priority projects such as local access roads including drainage system; local bridges, potable water supply projects, evacuation centers and DRR-related equipment; small water impounding projects; rainwater catchment facilities; sanitation and health facilities; and municipal drug rehabilitation facilities.
The AM program seeks to equitably assist all municipalities in the delivery of basic services by providing a financial subsidy to municipalities for the implementation of their priority programs and projects.
AM funds not a dole-out
According to the DILG Chief, the AM program is not a dole-out because the release of funds shall be subject to the compliance of concerned municipal governments to several good governance requirements.
“Hindi automatic ang pagbibigay ng pondo sa mga munisipyo. Kailangan muna nilang patunayan na karapat-dapat silang makatanggap nito sa pamamagitan ng pagsumite ng ilang requirements,” he says.
These are: the requirements under the DILG Good Financial Housekeeping and the DILG Local Development Council Functionality Assessment; assessment of Public Financial Management (PFM) Systems and adoption of corresponding PFM improvement measures; and submission of notarized certification for fund release signed by the local chief executive.
He explains that the notarized certification should specify that the site of the project has no land ownership or right-of-way issues, the project is not located in the no-build zone and hazard-prone area; for water supply, water source has been validated and found to be feasible to supply water to the intended beneficiaries and potable for drinking.
“At DILG, we will ensure that these AM projects adhere to the national standards and policies of construction, rehabilitation, improvement, or repair of infrastructure in all applicable phases from project preparation to completion,” Año says.
“We only want to make sure that the AM projects will be sustainable and will provide long-term benefits and convenience to the communities and the townsfolk,” he adds.
Counterpart funds
Año also points out that municipal governments need to shell out counterpart funds to cover expenses incurred in the conduct of preliminary activities such as community consultations; securing clearances and permits; feasibility study preparation; surveys; detailed engineering design preparation; procurement activities; water drilling explorations; pump test/water quality test, among others.
“The AM program will finance a major part of the project but municipal governments should have the financial capacity to cover preliminary and administrative costs of their projects,” he says.
The budget allocation for municipalities is based on equal share, fiscal capacity, per capita share, and share for good performance.
Mayor as accountable officer
The DILG Secretary says the municipal mayor, as the local chief executive (LCE), shall be primarily accountable for the overall implementation of the projects.
To ensure the effective implementation of the project, the LCE shall also issue an executive order creating or reactivating a Project Monitoring Committee to be headed by the municipal planning and development coordinator, an Inspectorate Team and a Project Implementation Team both to be headed by the municipal engineer.
Only those LGUs who have complied with the mandatory requirements will be endorsed by the DILG for the direct download of AM funds from the Department of Budget and Management down to the LGU level.