FOOD AID. Butuan City resident Sergio Sanchez is among the 736 beneficiaries who receive food packs from the city government Monday (April 20, 2020). The City Information Office of Butuan says the distribution of food packs will continue until the end of the week to all 86 barangays. (Photo courtesy of Butuan City Information Office)
BUTUAN CITY – The mass distribution of food packs for some 40,000 households in this city started Monday (April 20) and will run throughout the week, an official said.
The 39,980 recipient-families are directly affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) being implemented in the city to contain the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Butuan City information officer May Diez told the Philippine News Agency Tuesday (April 21).
“The first batch of distribution was done in 31 barangays on Monday with at least 5,483 household beneficiaries. The distribution will continue for this whole week,” Diez said.
Butuan City has a total number of 86 barangays.
She said that under the scheme designed by the city government, the distribution of relief goods will be divided into eight batches. The relief goods include rice, canned goods, and noodles.
“Mayor Ronnie Lagnada wants an efficient and smooth distribution and to sustain the availability of food supplies for the residents of Butuan,” Diez said.
During the weekend, the city government received some criticisms from individuals for the delay of the release of relief goods.
“We cannot release the assistance at one time. Remember that the SAP and the separate benefits for the Pantawid program of the DSWD were released about a week ago. This means that the people of Butuan still have the resources to secure food,” Diez said.
She added Lagnada does not want to compare the distribution of aid into a race or sprint.
“The mayor wants to sustain the availability of our food supplies. We do not know how long the ECQ will stay,” Diez said.
Among the barangays included in the first batch of distribution, Monday was Barangay Ong Yiu where 736 families received their food packs.
A City Information Office statement on Monday quoted a resident, Sergio Sanchez, who expressed gratitude to the local government for the support his family received.
“My family is among the victims of the fire that struck Ong Yiu last March. With the SAP I received and now the relief goods, we are now ensured of enough resources to survive for the coming days. I have five children to feed,” Sanchez said.
Color-coded quarantine pass
Butuan City also started Monday the use of the color-coding scheme for Home Quarantine Passes (HQPs) distributed to households.
HQPs will be used for buying food, medicines and other necessities for households. Passes with black signatures of village chiefs can be used every Monday and Thursday; blue signature for Tuesdays and Fridays; and red for Wednesdays and Saturdays.
“The new HQP scheme is more effective as this will limit the number of residents that can go out to buy food, medicines and other needs,” Barangay Doongan chairperson Gilberto Enriquez said Monday.
Enriquez said that with the scheme, grocery stores, pharmacies, and even the markets will not be packed with buyers and the social distancing will be properly implemented to ensure the safety of residents from the Covid-19. (PNA)
