Tom to 3 team Rama Barangays: Return buses, ambulances

CEBU, Philippines - Barangays allied with Team Rama may be in for more hard times after Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered three barangays to return their mini-buses and ambulances issued by the city government.

In a July 14 letter to Agsungot Barangay Captain Noli Anne Alcover, Osmeña asked for the immediate return of the mini-bus and the ambulance van to the city's General Services Office.

Aside from Agsungot, GSO head Ronald Malacora said letters were also addressed to the captains of barangays Babag, and Cambinocot. The three barangay captains are allied with Team Rama.

When asked about his reasons, Osmeña cited two; for inventory of the city's properties, and for evaluation by the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF).

"One of that is inventory and another is that I'm asking ERUF to evaluate the whole program because many of those people in the ambulances don't even have any paramedics training," Osmeña said, adding that the city will redeploy the ambulances to the barangays.

Osmeña said he wants people who will supervise the ambulances to be trained and ERUF can help in that regard.

"Now here, many ambulances are not being in use. We don't even know what their running condition is. So it should be brought in, it should be evaluated and it might be redeployed based on their (ERUF) recommendations," he said.

When asked if this will affect the delivery of basic services of the city, Osmeña said it will only be temporary. He said he may consider taking back the vehicles in phases, but added barangays should also help each other in responding to emergencies.

Malacora said the list of the vehicles shows the city gave two barangay ambulances to Barangay Babag. He said this might be a reason for the order of the mayor.

The return of the vehicles was one of the topics discussed during the second general assembly of Association of Barangay Councils yesterday, which was attended by at least 54 barangay captains.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella suggested that the ABC should issue a resolution asking the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to issue an order to the mayor to spare the mini-buses and ambulances considering their importance to the barangay. The captains agreed.

Labella said it should be highlighted that the letter to the ombudsman is not a complaint but a request for assistance from an office that has the mandate to direct officials to perform their duties and responsibilities.

"Hangyo nga dili hilabtan ang ambulances kay barangays empowered na. Gituyo nga there should be autonomy on the part of the barangays. That is why there is the Local Government Code to empower the barangays in the city that there be should no intervention from higher officials in the government to impose in the barangay level," he said.

Labella said it is okay not to return the vehicles for as long as the barangays have a collective answer to the mayor that they need the ambulances and mini-buses.

Financial aid

Majority of the barangays in the city will also ignore the memorandum of Osmeña to stop using the P800 million financial assistance they received from the city government in 2015. The July 12 memorandum of Osmeña was also one of the topics of yesterday's general assembly.

Instead, ABC vice president and Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman challenged Osmeña to sue them.

"Sa P800 million, among stand g'yud ani is bisan og dunay warning ang mayor, ang famous line gyod sa mayor is 'sue me', so among ingon is 'sue us' pud kay wala man gu'y basis," Ayuman said.

Ayuman said most of the barangays have already entered contracts with private companies and charged the expenses against the financial aid.

"Unsa diay gusto niya nga kon dunay remaining balance dili ipagamit? Binding na g'yud na tanan through a bidding. Besides, dili pa final ang notice of disallowance sa COA, pwede pa ta ka apilar ana," he said.

The Commission on Audit earlier disallowed the P800 million city aid to the barangays in 2015 after it failed to get prior approval from the City Council. This prompted Osmeña to tell the barangays to stop using the unspent financial aid and to return it to the City Treasurer's Office.

Poblacion Pardo Barangay Captain Althea Lim she will not return the P10 million received by the barangay because the City Council has already ratified the disbursement of the city government.

Last June 29, Lim said the City Council "confirmed and affirmed" the release of the P800 million, saying it is "within the ambit" of the budget ordinance last year.

Ayuman said the ABC will send a letter to Osmeña saying that they will not return the unspent financial aid pending appeal before the COA.

Councilor Jose Daluz III, who also attended the assembly, told barangay captains that they should wait for the resolution of COA on the financial aid because the notice of disallowance is not final.

"Dinaogdaog ang mga barangays nga nagsuporta sa Team Rama. Para sa mayor, ang election, wala pa g'yud nahuman. Kontra gihapon niya sa politika," Daluz said.

Busay Barangay Captain Amilo Lopez said his barangay got P8 million assistance from the city. Even if he received the memorandum of the mayor, Lopez said he paid P5 million to the private contractor that undertook the barangay's project.

"Namayad ko bisan og naa'y memorandum kay humana ang projects. Basi'g ako pud ang ikiha sa contractor," he said.

Firearms

In another memorandum dated July 15, Osmeña also directed department heads, City Councilors, barangay officials, Cebu City Police Office, and all city government employees to return the firearms issued to them by the city government.

"You are hereby directed to return all issued firearms under your possession to the City Government through the General Services Office within five days from receipt of notice," the memo read.

In his Facebook Account, Councilor Joel Garganera posted a copy of the memorandum with the caption "all City owned firearms issued to Cebu City Police Personnel are now being recalled by the Mayor. GOD Bless our beloved Cebu City."

Osmeña also shot back in his Facebook account.

"What he (Garganera) is not telling you is that this is a recall for INVENTORY, because the many of those firearms are with police who are retired or no longer in Cebu. The city is not going to keep the firearms. We're just trying to make sure the guns end up with police who are actually working here," Osmeña's post read.

Sought for comment, Malacora said the recall of the firearms is also to allow the city to gather all the 254 assorted firearms to secure and renew their licenses.

"Kadaghanan nakauli na ang department heads, councilors, ug mga barangay officials. Ang sa police nalang ang wala kauli," he said.

When asked if this is part of Osmeña's plan to withdraw his support from the fight against illegal drugs, Malacora said it is not. He said once Osmeña returns from Japan on July 27, they will resume the application for the renewal of the licenses.

Senior Superintendent Joel Doria, chief of Cebu City Police Office, said they will heed to the order of the mayor.

Doria responded the same way Osmeña said he will stop giving allowance to the newly-assigned policemen in the city as a form of protest to hierarchy of the PNP.

Osmeña cried foul over the relief of the city's chief of police, Senior Superintendent Benjamin Santos, whom he said was one of the best city directors he had ever worked with. (FREEMAN)