Talisay to check out boundaries

CEBU, Philippines - In the hopes of putting an end to the boundary dispute among barangays, the members of the Talisay City Council during its regular session last Tuesday agreed to revisit the existing barangay boundary monuments (BBM) of all of the city's 22 villages.

The council adopted unanimously the motion filed by Association of Barangay Councils President Osmundo J. Manreal Jr., who is chairman on council committee on barangay affairs, requesting the legislative body to create a special committee "to arbitrate the boundary disputes" particularly between barangays Bulacao and Candulawan.

Among many other boundary-related issues, Bulacao has been claiming that the public school named after it belongs to the barangay.

The school however is reportedly built within the territorial jurisdiction of its neighbor, Candulawan.

Taxes and basic services are also among the issues raised by the concerned barangays.

The same measure also asks the council "to revisit the barangay boundary monuments that will permanently define the political boundaries between the twenty-two barangays of the City of Talisay."

Some of the city's barangays have been surveyed in the past many years, but the BBMs have reportedly been lost over time.

Manreal, in his resolution, also noted the cases of barangays Lawaan I, II ,III, and Biasong, all of which have no BBMs yet, which should "define" their respective political boundaries."

"There is also some boundary disputes among some barangays and these need to be settled once and for all," a portion of the resolution reads.

Hence, Manreal said the council through this new committee must "look into this problem and formulate ways and create permanent solution to these boundary conflicts."

Under this new measure, the vice mayor, in this term's council is Alan Bucao, becomes the committee chairman who will have full authority and with the suggestion of the city council to appoint members to this committee.

After the committee shall have been created, it has no more than two months to submit its report to the council, the resolution further said. (FREEMAN NEWS)