Negosyo applicants exceed program cap

CEBU, Philippines — Due to the influx of Sugbo Negosyo applicants, the office of Cebu Third District Board Member John Ismael Borgonia has stopped accepting applications since Friday.

Borgonia said his office has already received around 900 applicants as of October 27 and will probably reach around 1,000 applicants in their last counting.

“Puno na siya kay ang computation P5 million each board member and kon tagaan lang nato’g P10,000 sa Category C lang ta, that’s 500 beneficiaries.Then ang last namong count naa nami sa 900 applicants,” said Borgonia.

“Although sa November 6 pa namo i-submit sa Central Committee, on our level, amo naman daan ng gihashasan, naka-comply ba sa requirements ug i-evaluate og angay ba ni sila hatagan based sa ilang applications,” he added.

He said the volume of applicants depends on how aggressive each board member in disseminating and collecting the forms.

While other PB members focused on Category A to avoid any hassle, Borgonia said his office is focusing on Category C to equally divide and distribute the amount, considering the volume of applicants.

Last October 19, the office of Cebu Vice Governor Hilario Davide III has also stopped accepting applicants for the program due to the volume of applications that are yet to be reviewed.

Sugbo Negosyo, which was launched on September 30, is a livelihood program of the Cebu provincial government in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).

The program has three categories - “Negosyong Padayonon” for Category A, “Produktong Sugbuanon” for Category B, and “Mga Serbisyo ug Ginagmay’ng Patigayon” for Category C.

The cash assistance for Category A beneficiary is worth P50,000 while P20,000 and P10,000 are allotted for Category B and C, respectively.

The Capitol has allocated P100 million for the said program which will be distributed through the offices of the 17 PB members withP5 million each, and P15 million through the office of the vice governor. — GAN (FREEMAN)