DAVAO CITY — The Provincial Government of Davao del Norte has realigned some P215.76-million from its 2020 annual budget for the emergency response against coronavirus dieases (COVID-19) pandemic.
“We need to realign funds because this is emergency, we need to respond and provide for our people the basic needs like food and we need to augment the requirement of our frontliners, so, I asked the legislative office to realign funds for this purpose,” Governor Edwin Jubahib told NewsLine.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved the realigned budget during its special session on April 3, 2020.
The noticeable increase of coronavirus in his province, according to Jubahib, has prompted him to prepare “We just have to be ready to any eventuality.
As of 3:00 PM of April 6, 2020, the province reported nine positive cases, who are now admitted at the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC), while there are 22 persons under investigation (PUIs) and 229 persons under monitoring (PUMs).
Half of the Quick Response Fund (QRF), which is by far the largest emergency fund in the province’s history, was realigned from the 20% development fund, while P89 million come the calamity fund of the province.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has allowed local government units (LGUs) to tap their 20 percent development funds for COVID-19 response.
Jubahib revealed the QRF is intended for relief assistance, isolation rooms, personal protective equipment and hygiene kits and provisions for frontliners, medicines, medical equipment, decontamination chambers, disinfectants, and other similar supplies, and the likes.
Last Friday, the governor led the inauguration of 30 isolation rooms for persons under investigation (PUIs), as an important prevention protocol to slow the spread of the fatal disease.
He also started distributing 325,000 food packs on Tuesday to the different LGUs to augment their relief assistance in helping the Dabaonon families through the difficult times.
To effectively contain and delay the spread of the coronavirus, Jubahib on Sunday issued Executive Order No. 31, Series of 2020, placing the province of Davao del Norte under Enhanced Community Quarantine, except the Island Garden City of Samal, from April 5, 2020 to April 20, 2020.-Editha Z. Caduaya
