Bacolod City – An ordinance mandating the grant of financial subsidy to individuals in crisis situation who were adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis was recently passed on third and final reading by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Authored by Councilor Dindo Ramos, the ordinance will cover all Bacolod City residents who were prevented to go to work or earn a living, or those individuals in crisis situation during the period the national government or the local government of the city imposed restrictions on movements or businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by virtue of any law, executive order or ordinance.
The ordinance provides that in order for any individual to avail of financial subsidy or aid from the City of Bacolod, the grantee must be: a resident of Bacolod for the last six months; is employed or earning a living during the time that certain restrictions on movements or businesses were imposed by virtue of any law, ordinance or executive order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
A grantee must come from the marginalized sector; and must be prevented to go to work and earn his or her income, compensation, salary or wage by the restrictions imposed by the government in its fight against COVID-19, in order to avail of financial subsidy from the city, it said.
The subsidy or aid to be granted to the beneficiaries should be taken from the General Annual Appropriation and/or from the City Development Fund, if allowed under the circumstances, at the discretion of the chief executive, the ordinance also said.
The ordinance empowers the City Mayor’s Office to make such guidelines as it may deem necessary for the prompt, orderly and convenient implementation of the ordinance with much consideration given to the employees or workers who were prevented to earn their salaries or wages by the restrictions imposed by the government.
The ordinance is enacted in furtherance of social justice and therefore, any doubts as to any provision of this ordinance will be interpreted in favor of the employees, laborers, or workers who are claiming financial assistance by virtue of this ordinance to alleviate the sufferings caused upon them by the COVID-19 crisis, it added. (Chrysee Semillano via The Visayan Daily Star, photo courtesy of Philippine News Agency)
