SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur- The mayor of Carrascal town in Surigao del Sur gave away 8,000 on Thursday sacks of rice, one for each family to make good on his promise during the campaign period for the May 9 elections.
Mayor Vicente H. Pimentel III, son of the late long-time Surigao del Sur Governor Vicente Pimentel Jr., who is in his third term, started distributing thousands of sacks of rice valued at P17 million at the Barangay Poblacion.
The distribution of rice is part of the highlights of this year’s Pahinungod Festival on July 14-15.
Pimentel said the funds used to purchase sacks of rice derived from local revenues “ that were paid back to residents of Carrascal.”
The mayor earlier committed on the campaign trail in the May 9 elections to give a sack of rice to each of the families of his supporters but decided last week to cover all families in Carrascal regardless of their political color.
He said he saw many people have experienced economic hardships caused by the inflation felt in the country, that he needed to show more support to the residents.
“ Above all, the money bought for the rice assistance are funds of the people not my personal funds,” Pimentel said in an interview via social media private message. “It’s deserving to reciprocate all the services to the people this is not mine but government fund that belongs to the people.”
He dismissed the political undertones of the massive rice provision to the residents saying he had been doing this initiative even from his first term and during the height pandemic period when people were coping with the difficulties in their livelihood.
“We have more programs and projects lined up in my last three years in office because I want to leave a legacy that my administration is service and people oriented,” he said.
In his Facebook post, Pimentel said in local vernacular, “Kuman ako tumanon an ako saad sa ila ( I will now fulfill my promised to them),’ he said, “pero malisod sab na ‘Hugpong’ da an tagaan kay taga-Carrascal man gihapon sila, (but is not fair that supporters of Hugpong Surigaonon will be only given since we are all residents of Carrascal, referring to voters who did not vote for them during the last election.
‘Tanan tagaan walay pili,’ (All will be given , no selection,” he added. Over 8,000 families in the 14 barangays in Carrascal will benefit from the rice gift.
Caption:
A father happily carries on his shoulder his share of a sack of rice given by Mayor Vicente H. Pimentel III at a warehouse. Photo courtesy of Mayor VJ Hotchkiss Pimentel Facebook page.
