Underweight chicks weigh heavy in Iloilo

ILOILO CITY — Underweight chicks weighed heavily on a decision to suspend a P3.4-million livelihood project for the city’s poor.

Vice Mayor Jose Espinosa III, acting mayor in lieu of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog’s absence, on Monday directed Romulo Pangantihon, city agriculturist, to submit a report and written explanation by Oct. 2.

Espinosa also ordered lawyer Joan Montaño, of the city government’s internal audit office, to investigate the project’s implementation.

The acting mayor said the project would be terminated if investigation confirmed irregularities.

The city council also decided to investigate the project implementation.

The city government was distributing chicks for breeding to poor families.

The project drew the acting mayor’s attention after several beneficiaries complained that the chicks they received weighed less than 300 grams which was specified in the project’s terms of reference.