Rose Mondala, Aging Office director, said they will use their savings from the austerity Fridays implemented since October last year.
“These are all left-over funds from austerity,” she added.
The governor’s office granted the Aging Office an exemption from the 16-hour reduction in May for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, which ends on Sept. 30.
Although, she declined to mention the total savings, Mondala said they were able to repaint the building and its perimeter fences.
She said they have also repaired bathrooms and will soon renovate their pavilion, social hall and activity center.
“I watched the budget carefully,” she said, when asked how she managed to generate funds from the austerity measures.
Because the office lacks vehicles, she said they will purchase one SUV and one van.
In February, a van of the Aging Office carrying five senior citizens caught fire in Tanapag after dropping off some of its passengers in Kagman and As Matuis.
Mondala said her office has one bus, one van, three SUV’s and two pick-ups.
The new SUV, she said, will service the manamko’ from Kagman while the new van will service San Vicente and Dandan.
Mondala, a former trucking manager in the U.S., said she monitors the availability of transportation, the areas and the number of persons to be picked up.
Aside from vehicles, Mondala said they will also purchase two commercial big rice cookers and an oven.
Her office, she added, is now developing plans to renovate the kitchen with a new burner gas range.
