The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) represented by Provincial Directo Edwin F. Garcia of DILG Masbate turned over nine (9) projects to the Local Government Unit of Pio V. Corpus on April 5, 2016. The ceremony was conducted at the Evacuation Center, Pio V. Corpus Central School, Poblacion of the said municipality, one of the DILG funded projects.

The projects that the Department handed down to the LGU were: Rehabilitation of Level III Water Supply System at Poblacion an P8,000,000.00 grant under the Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig para sa Lahat (SALINTUBIG) 2013 – Phase I, the LGU has a 10% counterpart in the amount of P800,000.00; Improvement/Construction of Level III Water Supply System at Poblacion DILG grant of P4,750,000.00 and LGU Counterpart of P250,000.00 – Phase II; Construction of Level II Water Supply System at Bunducan and Tubigan with DILG grant of P1,900,000.00 and LGU Counterpart of P100,000.00 and Construction of Level II Barangay Water System at Cabangrayan with DILG fund of P475,000.00 and LGU Counterpart of P25,000.00, all three (3) were identified by the Local Poverty Reduction Action Team (LPRAT) under the Bottom up Budgeting (BuB) 2014.

Also included were five (5) completed projects under BuB 2015: Construction of Drainage System with DILG fund of P1,509,631.00; Flood Control – Construction of Seawall with DILG grant of P890,000.00; Provision of Water Supply System for Birthing Facility at the Municipal Health Office with a total project cost of P1,000,000.00; Upgrading of Level II Water Supply System to Level III at Buenasuerte with P2,131,000.00 requested fund to DILG and Evacuation Facility – Construction of 1 Unit Standard Evacuation Center at Poblacion with DILG fund of P2,000,000.00 and LGU Counterpart of P1,000,000.00. DILG was able to extend a total of P22,655,631.00 worth of water and other disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) infrastructure projects.

Blessing of the Evacuation Center was officiated by Rev. Father Ruel Mendoza, Parish Priest followed by the ribbon cutting ceremony by PD Garcia and Mayor Allan T. Lepasana and Vice Mayor Eugenio T. Avila, Jr. and Liga President – PB of Poblacion – Ruben B. Yubal. After which the program for the Turnover Ceremony was witnessed by the Municipal Officials, LPRAT and barangay officials of recipient barangays.

Testimonies of Punong Barangays about the project were also part of the program as well as giving of certificate of appreciation to source owners, the DILG represented by PD Garcia for the grant of fund and to Engr. Senen A. Lecciones for rendering technical assistance in the preparation of Program of Works and Detailed Engineering Design and in project implementation of the water project in Poblacion.

For the water project in Poblacion, all the households will be able to access potable water as the entire barangay is covered with water pipelines where they can tap for water connection. At present, there is a total of 150 household with water connections and there are still on-going connections to cover all applicants. Aside from the water supply, residents of Poblacion were and will be benefited by all BUB-DILG DRRM projects.

In Tubigan, a total of 226 households are now enjoying Level II water supply. Among the recipients, the residents of Tubigan were grateful for this intervention as they will no longer go to the source to fetch water or pay as high as P10.00 per container – in the remotest part of the barangay – or risk the lives of those water vendors during rough weather, when they fetch water from the source and load it in small motorboats. They also develop a fair scheme in water distribution covering all puroks.

Residents of Cabangrayan have also access to Level II water supply while residents of Buenasuerte – an adjacent barangay of Poblacion – enjoys an upgraded Level III water supply.

Project Tour was also part of the activity for the DILG Masbate Provincial Director Edwin F. Garcia to have first-hand evidence on the existence of the projects. All throughout the activities members of the LPRAT, particularly the Civil Society Organizations representative were present.