NEWS BRIEFS
Rice and corn deficit
CENTRAL Visayas faced a rice and corn deficit of 192,000 metric tons from January to June this year, agriculture officials said yesterday.
“The population in the region has a rice and corn consumption of 30 to 35 percent and 60 to 65 percent of rice and corn are imported,” said Bureau of Agriculture Statistics Officer Aurelia Canda.
The Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7) said it wants to improve rice, corn and vegetable sufficiency in the region in 2016.
DA-7 operations officer Gerry Avila said the region is self-sufficient in livestock and poultry production.
“We will rehabilitate and strengthen the dams, irrigation systems and facilities, encourage farmers to plant good quality seeds, engage in community-based seed banking and promote crop management, among others,” Avila said.
In Cebu, Avila said Dalaguete and Alcoy towns and Argao City are the “southern backbone” in vegetables production.
The DA-7 official said the region has “potential irrigable areas” but there is no budget to build dams.
Avila said the present nationwide budget for agriculture and fishery is P39 billion.
“We have strengthened the production areas in Cebu to maintain our yield. The supply that we have is sufficient if there is a typhoon,” Avila said. Correspondent Rhea Ruth V. Rosell
Mandaue relocation
The Mandaue city government plans to start relocating informal settlers at a rate of 20 households a week to a 6.5-hectare lot in barangay Paknaan, said City Administrator James Abadia.
The Mandaue City board on socialized housing met yesterday to discuss illegal structures along easement zones that contribute to flooding. The area can accommodate about 1,200 houses.
Settlers can start transferring next month, said Tonypeth Juanico of the Housing and Urban Development Office (Hudo).
The site is being surveyed. Each households could avail of a 28-square-meter lot under the Community Mortgage Program of the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) of the national government.
Dennis Lua, the lot owner, received an initial down payment for the land, which the city purchased at P2,500 per square meter. Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos
Barangays want exemption for salaries, cash gifts
BARANGAYS in Cebu City sought an exemption from a joint circular prohibiting the use of their 20 percent share of the Internal Revenue Allotment for salaries and cash gifts.
In a resolution passed last Sept. 28, the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) said the circular issued by the Departments of Budget and Management and Interior and Local Governments may result in unemployment of barangay personnel.
The annual budgets of the barangays already allocated part of their 20 percent development fund for salaries of midwives, tanods and monthly utility bills, the ABC resolution said.
Barangays are supposed to set aside 20 percent of their budget for development projects.
The joint DILG-DBM circular issued last April 13 also prohibits use of the 20 percent development fund for food allowances, medical assistance, uniforms, supplies, utilities and honoraria.
The ABC asked for time to adjust their budgets. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac
