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UY, LIM's PET PROJECT. The botika
which is a pet project of Deputy Mayor Mario Uy and Mayor
Dan Lim was reopened yesterday after some P4.8 million
worth of expired medicines were burned last Monday at
the city hall. Foto DANNY REYES |
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The
"Botika sa Katawhan" reopened yesterday after
a month-long closure following political squabble at
the city hall. However, its new name is yet to be announced.
Deputy
Mayor Mario Uy, said that the project resumed giving
free medicines to city residents
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yesterday
after clearing its inventory of medicines. Some P4.8 million
worth of expired medicines were burned last Monday to signal
the resumption of operation.
The
said medicines were the slow moving medicines donated from donors
abroad.
Together with City Mayor Dan Lim, the deputy mayor said it remains
his "passion" to help the poor residents of the city
under the program. In fact, he said that even non-indigent residents
who come for medical assistance will be given if the medicines
or substitutes of the medicines they need are available in their
inventory.
The
resumption of the giving of medicines came after barangay
residents staged a rally last Friday led by their barangay
captains. City Kagawad Faro Cabalit, president of the Association
of Barangay Captains (ABC) led the rally to articulate their
demand for the reopening of the botika. The rally was held
amid observations that it was an orchestrated political gimmick
in order to show that the public is demanding for the resumption
of the project.
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"The
project is well supported and the public wants it to
continue," a barangay official said. However, its
reopening could still be done even without last Friday's
rally. Each barangay official was reportedly given the
quota of 200 persons per barangay to come and join the
rally.
He
rally was staged to demand the botika's re-opening but
at the same time bannered the criticism against opposition
kagawad Djingo Rama and Kagawad Edgar Kapirig who both
questioned the transparency of the project. The two
kagawads were labeled in streamers during the rally
as "anti-poor."
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Rama
earlier demanded the accounting of the funds supporting the
project which Uy said could not be demanded since it is a
private undertaking. In fact, Uy repeatedly said that he has
to spend his own money to support the project.
Kapirig,
for his part, engaged in a verbal tussle with Uy earlier when
he questioned Uy's management of the project's funding. The
conflict between Uy and Kapirig has resulted to a legal battle.
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