Council asks disbursement of cash aid for Lupons

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council has requested the City Treasurer’s Office to immediately disburse the funds allocated for at least 900 lupong tagapamayapa in 80 barangays of the city that have yet to receive their cash assistance for 2014.

City Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairperson of the council’s committee on budget and finance, said that there’s a fund for the cash assistance of the lupong tagapamayapa amounting to P1,035,000.

However, City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas said that her office can only release the cash assistance if it is already processed in the Barangay Affairs Unit.

“Ang Barangay Affairs Unit man ang mohatag nato og list or ang pay roll sa mga lupong tagapamayapa. Sa pagkakaron, wala pa naabot ang payroll kon pila gyod na sila kabuok,” she said.

Cuevas stressed though that the budget allocated for the cash assistance of the lupong tagapamayapa is already intact.

Meanwhile, the League of Lupong Tagapamayapa has requested the city government to include in the 2015 budget the funding for the annual activities of the lupong tagapamayapa in all the barangays.

The initial request of the LELT did not make it to 2014 annual budget deliberation.

The City Council referred the proposal to the Office of the Mayor and Local Finance Committee for perusal and recommendations.

The budget proposal of P1.5 million includes the monthly barangay cluster seminars and visitations (P800, 000), general assembly, and the upcoming annual lupong tagapamayapa week celebration (every 2nd week of November).

LELT aims to promote closer ties among all lupong tagapamayapa and further enhance their basic knowledge and application in settling disputes through trainings and seminars of the Katarungang Pambarangay.  (FREEMAN)