Ouano still interested in ABC top post

CEBU, Philippines - Barangay Opao captain Joy Tuela Ouano is hoping she could finally seat as president of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) in Mandaue City now that barangay Banilad captain Glenn Bercede has been elected vice mayor.

Ouano, together with her lawyer Jose Arnado, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, and the rest of the 26 barangay captains of the city are set to meet this week to discuss the vacated ABC slot.

Ouano and her younger brother barangay Opao Councilman Raphael Ouano met with the mayor and the barangay captains in the city weeks before the election to show they were supporting Cortes and his team.

ABC vice president and barangay Maguikay captain and councilor-elect Elstone Dabon, said the mayor and the barangays captains valued her support to the group and he hopes Ouano gets the ABC post.

“Gibalor dyud sa grupo ang pagtapon ni Ouano ug balik sa amo”Dabon said.

Dabon said that during the campaign period, newly elected city councilor Demetrio”Jun “Cortes” even promised that if Bercede wins as vice mayor ,the ABC post will go to Ouano.

Bercede said he sees nothing wrong with it, but barangay captains should be consulted first especially that there was already a ruling coming from the Court of Appeals dated March 24,2010 which decided  that there should be another election.

The ABC decided to wait for the 2010 elections to finish.

But if the CA ruling is implemented, the conduct of elections this time will not be highly contested as before since everybody wants the issue settled.

If  Ouano becomes the president ,she will occupy the post until the next barangay elections in October.

The ABC president also sits as an ex-officio member of the city council.

The  ABC presidency has remained vacant since the start of the Cortes administration three years ago after both Ouano and Bercede claimed victory in the December 2007 elections.

Ouano had claimed that she had won the election but Bercede said there was no quorum after he and some barangay captains allied with him walked out of the room where the election was being held.  (FREEMAN NEWS)