REP. Kristine Alexie B. Tutor (Third District, Bohol) cried of blacklisting of crooked contractors who deserted their project and left them unfinished.
She said that it becomes a perennial concern over contractor’s abandonment of project of building barangay health stations (BHS). These projects are under the supervision of the Department of Health (DOH).
She proposed to the DOH to blacklist these unscrupulous contractors. And also to prevent a problem like this, Tutor proposed for the fund be downloaded directly to the LGU “provided said LGU has a Seal of Good Housekeeping” so local contractors can participate in the bidding process.
In the process if anything wrong surfaced, it would be easily addressed, she said.
Tutor did not mention who are these contractors, nor the places where these BHS were left uncompleted.
Despite budgetary constraint in the national level, Tutor works hard just to keep fund assistance to the needy of her district afloat.
Tutor said in her fb post that there’s a big challenge since next year’s budget is expected to drop by Php20 billion allotted for Assistance to Individual in Crisis Situation (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
But she tried her best and had requested for additional AICS fund for the district since this has been depleted. Because of this, Tutor asked those would-be beneficiaries to approach their respective municipal social welfare and development offices (MSWDO) since some of these still have their AICS allotment.
But the TUPAD program will continue, she said. The allotment for the district for 2023 is expected to be still funded. “Sustainable livelihood is the key,” Tutor said.
In the field of agriculture, the congresswoman said that she wanted an inventory of fish landing ports in her district.
It was learned that the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has poured funds for the construction of these fish ports in the province. It was not known how many of these ports were built. But these fish ports are built far from the accessibility of the fisherfolk.
She said that she has requested BFAR to provide tilapia and catfish fingerlings for the growers even as she also pushes for backyard gardening.
Backyard gardening, she said, could cushion high prices of vegetables which are prevailing nowadays.
She said she is strongly urging farmers and fisherfolk to register with their respective agriculture offices so they could qualify for fund assistance from the Department of Agriculture.
All these (concerns) surfaced after the budget deliberation at the House of Representatives she actively participated. (rvo)
