DILG XII Regional Director Josephine Cabrido – Leysa personally turned-over a long list of DILG-funded projects worth more than P34 million to the LGU of Banisilan in Cotabato Province on March 19.
Director Leysa congratulated the LGU for the successful implementation of the said projects despite its location and limitations. Banisilan is roughly two and a half hours away from Kidapawan City, the capital town, and more or less four hours away from Koronadal City, Socsksargen’s Regional Seat. Thankfully, most of the highway linking Carmen and Banisilan are well-paved, except for a few stretches in the mountain passes. The director turned-over one evacuation center, various evacuation facilities and four local access road projects to LGU Banisilan in a simple ceremony held in one of the finished roads in Brgy. Poblacion 1, a few blocks away from the public market and the commercial center.
In her message, Director Leysa challenged all the municipal and local officials in attendance to “implement the projects the right way and take care of these projects which were funded by the government through the DILG and to implement future projects accordingly.”
Joining Director Leysa in the ribbon-cutting ceremonies were Municipal Mayor Jesus F. Alisasis and DILG Provincial Director Ali B. Abdullah with Vice Mayor Julier Caranay, Municipal Engineer Ramil Jayma, MLGOO Maguid Dagonaway, PDMU Chief Herminia Ontoy, Chief of Police P/CPT Bernard Abarquez, and the barangay officials representing the beneficiaries of their barangay, namely Punong Barangay Jose Rodillo Baldevieso of Brgy. Poblacion 1, Punong Barangay Ronald Soberano of Brgy. Poblacion 2, Punong Barangay Arnel Lechugas of Brgy. Tumbao and Punong Barangay Reynaldo Pionan of Brgy. Wadya.
In his heartfelt message, Mayor Alisasis acknowledged to the audience that the ‘presence of DILG Director Leysa is enough to give them hope’ but openly expressed his yearning that the municipality will be granted more grants or projects in the years to come. The mayor also boasted about the ‘quality workmanship of their projects, notwithstanding the distance.” The mayor continued, “politicos will not usually give attention to a far-flung place like ours, with a low number of voters. DILG, as an agency, had been really fair in spreading the projects even to an isolated community like ours.”
The LGU projects received funding from 2015 to 2020, through Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB), Assistance to Disadvantaged Municipalities (ADM), and Assistance to Municipalities (AM) all amounting to Php 34,763,532.00 which were expected to be for the benefit at least 6,002 residents, Director Leysa added.
Banisilan, from 2012 to 2020, received Php 54,054,980.00 worth of financial assistance and grants from the national government through the DILG to implement various projects for the benefit of the communities. Director Leysa recognized Banisilan as one of the first LGUs to complete, region-wide, the AM 2020 sub-projects before the end of 1st Quarter of 2021.
Meanwhile, in his response, Vice Mayor Caranay expressed his gratitude to the efforts of the DILG executive and her staff for personally visiting the locality. He recalls how difficult it was for residents to travel to the neighboring towns back when the highways were nothing but graveled or dirt roads. Banisilan, being the farthest municipality of the province, has become more accessible and less isolated, thanks to the paved road networks which link them to the neighboring Cagayan de Oro City and Kidapawan City, boosting its trade and business opportunities. “Banisilan has literally gone places because of DILG’s full support and timely implementation of projects that our people need,” the Vice Mayor said in his parting statement.
