Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama (Screengrab from Cebu City News and Information Facebook)
Mayor Michael Rama said during the launching of Food Security Summit on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, that there is about P1 billion in funds under the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) that can be used to increase the production of agriculture and animal husbandry.
“And there is money for that, almost even a billion. That is part if you talk about preparation. I’m pretty sure it’s already there, five percent of that is for response and preparedness,” Rama stressed.
The mayor does not want to use the term disaster risk so as not to worry the public and instead instructed CCDRRMO head Harold Alcontin to replace it with the words “resilient, preparedness, response and rehabilitation.”
Rama claimed that he had long been planning to launch the Food Security Summit to ensure enough food supply in the city.
“That is a very welcome development. That has been a part of what we wish and even addressing El Niño. Even during Covid-19 time that food security to me is very important,” Rama stressed.
Cebu City has 80 barangays of which 28 are located in the mountains which make up 70 percent of the land for agriculture.
Rama claimed that if Cebu City is prosperous, the farmers will be the first to benefit from it because of their high output, which will enable them to sell their food and save people from going hungry.
Lawyer Jerone Castillo, head of the City Budget Office and special assistant to the mayor, said that the current problem in the country is to combat inflation and the answer to this is to enhance the output of agricultural goods.
For his part, City Administrator Collin Rosell urged the public to work together for the city’s ongoing growth.
“Siyudad sa Sugbo ang tanan atong giawhag para matabangan nato ang pag-asenso ug ang ato mismong kahimsog maabagan ug ang atong kalambuan masigurado,” Rosell said in his message during the launching.
(We are urging everyone in Cebu City to assist us in moving forward so that our progress and personal wellness can be achieved).
Rama said the food security program is a component of his administration’s plan to transform Cebu City into a Singapore-like city while providing enough food for the present and future generations. (PAC, TPT)
