ABC prexies to get P2 million each, too: Capitol to give funds to barangays

CEBU, Philippines — At least 880 barangays in Cebu Province are expected to each receive P200,000 worth projects from the provincial government.

At the recently-concluded Barangay sa Pilipinas Year-End General Assembly, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced that the Capitol will extend the funds to the barangays for the purpose of implementing projects in their respective jurisdictions.

The Capitol is expected to issue guidelines on how the spend the said fund.

Garcia, who was the guest speaker at the assembly, also promised that the Capitol would give P2 million to each Association of Barangay Councils president present during the event.

“Pagkanindot ba nga ang kwarta, anha nato gastuon sa imprastraktura. Kana bang molungtad, nga mahinumduman ta ba... Ang gasunod nato, ang anak sa atong mga anak, ang apo sa atong mga apo, naa gihapon makit-an, mahinumduuman ta. Inig palit nimo og monobloc (chairs), usa ra na ka gamit pagkasunod ana, toa na na sa balay sa silingan. Unya infra gyud o kanang naa gyud makita,” Garcia told the barangay captains.

The assembly proceedings were streamed live online via the Capitol’s news arm, Sugbo News.

The general assembly of the barangay captains was last held before the pandemic in 2019 or during the start of Garcia’s new term as governor of Cebu. During the 2019 event, the Capitol laid down guidelines in granting funds to the barangays that would request for projects from the Capitol.

According to the guidelines, the Capitol would turn down requests from barangays for the purchase of monobloc chairs, tents, office supplies and the like as Garcia’s administration would “focus on projects that would last long” like infrastructure.

At the recent ABC general assembly, Garcia urged the village chiefs to help the province to continue to recover amid the pandemic and after Typhoon Odette last year.

“Ang prayoridad nato karon kay ibangon ang ekonomiya. Palambuon ta kini ang ekonomiya alang sa tagsa-tagsa kakauban sa barangay nga nanginahanglan ko sa inyong suporta,” Garcia said.

New Office

In a separate development, the Liga ng mga Barangay in Cebu City now has a new office located across the City Hall – a new “home that is a symbol of unity,” according to ABC Cebu City Chapter president Franklyn Ong.

During the inauguration of the new office, Ong recalled that the lot where the building is located had long been reserved for them through Proclamation No. 660 signed by then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004.

The lot is situated just across the executive building of the Cebu City Hall.

Ong said he was involved in the construction of the building and the assignment of floors not only for the Liga but also for Sangguniang Kabataan and senior citizens.

However, the construction hit a snag when the place was used as the Emergency Operations Center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the EOC found another hub for its operations, Ong said LNB was out of the picture and was left with no office.

He added that the Liga tried to fight for its rights, especially when the former office was partly destroyed by Odette.

Ong said it was not until the third quarter of this year that they finally got their request granted with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama giving a go for their transfer in the building.

“We gave way for the EOC to use this building… After its transfer, surprisingly the ABC office was lost in the picture… Sometime in October 2020, the LNB board asserted its rights but it was not until the third quarter of 2022, during the administration of Mayor Rama that he listened to our plea to use the third floor of this building,” Ong said.

With the new office, Ong looks forward to giving better services to the barangays at a location that is more accessible compared to the old one at the South Road Properties.

Ong also told the mayor’s executive secretary, lawyer Collin Rosell, that the office of the mayor can also use the conference room of the LNB for their meetings and conferences without any rental fees.

Ong and Rama do not belong to the same political party.

“May this ABC (Association of Barangay Councils) office be an instrument and a symbol of our unity… Para mapaspas ug ma-improve ang atong tanang mga serbisyo diri sa atong Liga ng mga Barangay… Mapadayon nato labi na ang atong suporta sa atong mayor labi na sa iyang vision of a Singapore-like Cebu City. Padayon ang serbisyo nga tinarong, service beyond colors,” he said. – Caecent N. Magsumbol, JMD (FREEMAN)