The Iloilo City Government has “sufficient” funds for its fight against the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“Ang aton ginpreparar is suffient pa,” said Mayor Jerry Treñas in a press conference on April 8.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved on March 31 the P291-million supplemental budget for assistance to frontliners and residents affected by the lockdown, which has already been extended until April 30, 2020.

Treñas said a huge chunk of the approved amount is alloted for rice, canned goods, and medical supplies.

The P291 million, taken from savings and surplus from previous budgets, was originally intended for barangay projects in the city. 

The city government, according to a report by the Philippine News Agency, “is taking care of about 70,000 households daily, excluding the middle and upper-middle classes who could provide for their own food”

“Iloilo City has an estimated 120,000 households and 40 percent, or 48,000 families, belong to the upper and middle classes,” the report said.

Treñas said the city government also has a standby fund of P100 million for its response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The SP also approved the P9.5-million funding for the hiring of 46 nurses and 23 doctors in the city.

The release of the city’s calamity fund amounting to P77 million was okayed by the SP on March 20.

These funds are separate from the millions of pesos worth of cash and in-kind donations received by the city government from businessmen, government agencies, and private individuals and groups.

“Now after almost three weeks, we get more and more donations, trying to help in their own little ways for the nutrition and safety of all. From children breaking their piggy banks, to senior citizens giving up their pension. The list of Ilonggo Heroes goes on and on,” Treñas said in a statement.

“No matter what the amount is, it goes a long way – from our Uswag Community Kitchens to our Uswag Kitchen Patrol, your donation counts. With your P500, we can already buy 28-30 kilos of kalabasa and that will be able to feed a lot of families,” he added.

The implementation of the enhanced community quarantine, which took effect on March 20, is supposed to end on April 14.IMT

Photos by Arnold Almacen