Cagayan: At least 25 barangays (villages) in Cagayan province received new multicab-type service vehicles on Wednesday courtesy of the provincial government to boost their disaster preparedness. The latest batch was part of the continuing distribution of vehicles to Cagayan’s 820 barangays with a total funding of PHP672.4 million sourced from the unused funds of the No Barangay Left Behind (NBLB) program last year.

According to Philippines News Agency, in his short speech during the ceremonial turnover of the vehicles at the Cagayan Sports Coliseum, Governor Manuel Mamba reiterated the government’s role to address the people’s needs and problems. ‘For the past nine years, I am just here (as governor) to augment the needs of the barangay and ensure that everyone is capacitated and no barangay is left behind,’ Mamba said in the vernacular.

The provision of service vehicles to all villages has been one of the top priorities of Mamba’s administration, with the initial batches distributed in December last year and in January this year. The brand new vehicles primarily aim to provide village transport during emergency situations.

As one of the recipients, Gonzaga town Mayor Marilyn Pentecostes thanked the governor and the provincial government for the continued help to the barangays under her jurisdiction. ‘This is a big help for the barangays. Let us make sure that the vehicles will be used for the good of the people and not for personal interest,’ she told village chairpersons on Wednesday during the ceremonial distribution. Pentecostes recommended that a travel order be issued for the use of the vehicles.

Engr. Julius Garcia of the Provincial Engineering Office also reminded the village chiefs to take good care of the vehicles and ensure their regular maintenance for them to last longer.