The mayor said the decision he made last March was an act of humanitarian concern.
“What I did was not senseless rejection or refusal as to boast that the iSadanga are rich, but rather to give way or waive off in favor of those who immediately need it most at the moment like the urban poor families and other less fortunate who are in far more worst situations than we are,” Ganggangan’s statement reads.
The mayor added “never did I have an intention of boasting, in fact I just posted that in FB to inform my constituents of my action and more importantly to mindset them of the possibility of resorting to our indigenous and traditional practice of ‘Gawat-abush’ system should the worst scenario of long extended ECQ happens.”
Ganggangan said he was informed relief food packs sent by the Department of Social Welfare of Development – Cordillera (DSWD-CAR) were available at the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
He then instructed the town’s social welfare development office to relay the message that the municipality will not avail of the food packs even if the lockdown will be extended.
The official stated it is during these kinds of economic hardships such as “food shortages”, hunger and famine that the “richer or better of” (kadangyans) among a clan or village are expected to aid their needy relatives by lending their surpluses.
“It’s not that we don’t have poor and needy families but I believe that we as tribal communities still have and should sustain our built – in and homegrown or indigenous social structure, values, and practice of taking care of our respective relatives or kin, neighbors ,or kailyan in distress during hard times or economic crisis. Let the national government feed those more needy urban poors in the cities and those less fortunate in other areas who can’t sustain themselves, while we sustain ourselves while we can,” Ganganan added.
CPA posted on March 30 that in time of the crisis, the relief should not be rejected.
“We commend Mayor Gabino Ganggangan for instilling in the minds of the people of Sadanga, Mountain Province the importance of such values and indigenous socio-political systems at this time of Covid-19 crisis. However, to refuse relief packs from the government even if the crisis lasts longer means that Mayor Ganggangan is also denying the poor members of the Sadanga communities of immediate relief. Relief food packs not only contain rice and vegetables but also groceries,” CPA said.
CPA added it is unjust to deny relief for the poor and the needy as Mayor Ganggangan himself said that there are poor and needy in the municipality.
“The people deserve economic relief from the government during this time of crisis and it is not right to deny them of this. Relief includes medical needs like medicines and vitamins. The mayor also boasts of our traditional values and practices. One important practice that we continue to promote is collective decision-making. Is the rejection of relief packs the collective decision of the people/umili?” the CPA statement added.
Sadanga in Mountain Province, is an agricultural town that has eight barangays with close to 9,000 population.
LAUREN ALIMONDO
April 29, 2020
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