Beware of impostors on Salintubig projects, DILG warns LGUs

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
August 8, 2012

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Beware of unscrupulous individuals who are going around introducing themselves as SILG's friends, offering to prepare the Salintubig project proposals and to expedite its approval.

Department of Interior and Local Government Region 8 Director Pedro Noval, Jr. directed the call on local government units in Eastern Visayas especially the 20 intended beneficiaries of the Sagana at Ligas na Tubig (Salintubig) project.

The call was issued amid reports that several LGUs like that of Abuyog and Dagami have already been approached by fixers.

Only the DILG directors have been authorized to sign MOA and approve the implementation of the Salintubig project, Director Noval said.

The check is immediately issued to the LGUs, he added.

In Region 8, the Salintubig beneficiaries are 9 waterless municipalities that stand to receive P7 million each are Abuyog, Alangalang, Bato, Calubian, Carigara, Dagami and Tabango, all in the province of Leyte; Santo Niño, Samar; and Las Navas, Northern Samar.

Of the 9 LGUs, the town of Santo Niño in Samar have completed the requirements and was recently given P3.5 million by the DILG Regional Office, Director Noval disclosed.

On the other hand, 11 Eastern Visayas LGUs stand to receive P3 million each under the waterless barangays. These include the municipalities of Dulag, Julita, Mayorga, and Palo (Barangay Tacuranga) in Leyte province; Arteche, Dolores, General MacArthur and Llorente in Eastern Samar; Biri and Palapag in Northern Samar and San Jorge in Samar.

Moreover, five waterless rural health units / lying in clinics in Eastern Visayas are also beneficiaries of the Salintubig project. These are Culaba in Biliran, San Roque and Palapag in Northern Samar, Tolosa in Leyte, and Ma. Asuncio Barangay Health Station in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte.

The DILG Director informed that the P1.5 billion Salintubig Program which is being implemented jointly under a memorandum of agreement by the DILG, Department of Health and the National Anti-Poverty Commission, there are two thematic areas: poorest or waterless barangays with high incidence of water-borne diseases and rural health centers without access to safe water.

The program is designed to provide water supply systems for the 455 waterless municipalities, waterless barangays, waterless health centers, waterless resettlement sites; and enhance the capacity of LGUs/water service providers in the planning, implementation and operation of water supply facilities.

Last year, the program covered 115 waterless towns, 62 waterless barangays, 55 waterless health centers, and 24 waterless resettlement sites.

For 2012, the program has been transferred to the DILG and will cover 150 municipalities, 46 health care centers, and 12 resettlement sites.