22 water recipient-towns undergo DED training

By Franklin P. Gumapon

PAGADIAN CITY – As part of its capacity development programs for recipient-municipalities of the Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig Para sa Lahat (SaLinTubig) project under the Grassroots Participatory Process (GPP), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)-9 has recently conducted a training on Detailed Engineering Design (DED) for 22 towns in the region at Guillermo Hotel here.

Municipal planning and development coordinators, municipal engineers/water supervisors and Sangguniang Bayan (SB) members composing the committee on infrastructure turned up to attend the said training. They came from the municipalities of Godod, Gutalac, Jose Dalman, Kalawit, Labason, Liloy, Manukan, Mutia, Rizal, Sibuco and Sibutad of Zamboanga del Norte, the towns of Bayog, Dimataling, Dumingag, Guipos, Lapuyan, Pitogo, Ramon Magsaysay, San Miguel and Vicenzo Sagun of Zamboanga del Sur, and the municipalities of Imelda and Buug of Zamboanga Sibugay.

The provincial planning and development coordinators of the provincial governments of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur also came to participate in the training.

The workshop, which was facilitated by DILG’s Project Development and Monitoring Unit (PDMU), taught the participants the DED preparation and procurement for the 2014 Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Process (GPBP) to fast-track the submission of the necessary documents of said towns for the release of funds for the implementation of SaLinTubig projects.

DILG-9 Regional Director Paisal O. Abutazil told the participants that the “DED is crucial for the projects to be implemented in the region, as it is one of the requirements for the releasing of the finds.”

“Region IX is still at 38% in fund utilization while other regions are already at 85%. Hence, the LGUs need to fast track their submission of said documents for the funds to be released before the year ends and so that the allocation will not be reverted and realigned for other purposes,” Abutazil said.

SaLinTubig projects are being implemented to address the water supply problems particularly in waterless municipalities in the region. (FPG/PIA-9 with reports from Lemuel C. Mejares of DILG-9)