Politics in Linao

CEBU, Philippines – Just a month away from the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, officials in Linao, barangay of Talisay City, are now divided reportedly because of politics.

Reportedly upon orders from city hall, second-term and re-electionist Reynaldo Sedentario, an administration-backed candidate, dropped councilwoman Fe Ylanan and Jeramie Barliso, SK Federation president from his team.

Fe, who replaced her husband Val Ylanan in the barangay council, said she believes that the move was in line with the administration's goal to strip off whatever powers the Ylanans have in the government.

Her husband, who ran in the May 10 polls and won, was the first casualty of this outstripping of powers.

The male Ylanan, who technically is still identified with the administration bloc, does not have a single committee to his name and the privilege to endorse 20 of his supporters to work at the city hall as temporary or job order employees, like each of the nine administration council members (SKF president and Association of Barangay Councils president included) has.

His party-mates reportedly did not like the idea that he, albeit a first-timer fared better than most of them, while their two candidates-Ronnie Capala and ABC president Os-mundo Manreal-did not make it.

"Dili lang ta nila iapil-apil ang pulitika ani kay baranggay gud ni, non-partisan. Pero hinuon, kung unsay isulti sa naa sa taas, wala naman gyud tay mahimo," said Fe in an in-terview.

Fe said she was only supposed to run as councilwoman under Sedentario's group, which was already formed, but last weekend, the barangay chief had junked her from his team shortly after meeting with the administration heads.

Sedentario's group was already complete, with the seven incumbents in it, but he took in two candidates, each endorsed by two of his councilmen, who had previously ex-pressed their willingness to run against him as barangay chiefs. Councilmen Hermenegildo "Eming" Sedentario, brother of the barangay chairman, and Ulysses Raganas had bolted out from the group and had started forming their own respective teams to fight against the incumbent chief's reelection bid.

Fe said from the very start, the two were against her replacing her husband in the council, that they even abstained in the voting when the house was divided. And since there were only two who opposed, she eventually got the seat. The two also objected when barangay chief Sedentario welcomed her to the team to be fielded in the Oct. 25 elec-tions, prompting them to create their own groups each. But when the "high ups" in the administration camp learnt about the faction, the Sedentario brothers and Raganas were called for a meeting to be reunited. It was reportedly first district Rep. Eduardo R. Gullas who asked Hermenegildo and Raganas to go back to the team of the incumbent barangay chief and support his reelection bid, and had assured them they would have their time too as Sedentario is on his third and last term already.

The two had reportedly agreed but on condition that they could bring in with them one candidate each to the team. Gullas had reportedly agreed to the bargain, that immedi-ately after, Sedentario dropped team mates Fe and Barliso from the group.

The sudden decision prompted Fe to run against the incumbent barangay chairman this October. "Ako lang i-clarify nga sa una, wala koy plano nga modagan og baranggay kapitan kay bag-o pa gud ko. Pero sa ilang gibuhat nako, nahagit ko. For about three months, nisuporta ko ug ang akong pamilya ni Kap, pero gibuhian man ko niya, so dili na siya kamahay," she said. Fe is also joined by outcast Barliso and reportedly other leaders in the barangay.

As this developed, Raganas has resurrected his team reportedly to battle Sedentario, who reportedly does not have a good performance during his two terms in the barangay. If both would continue their intentions, they would be at least three groups in Linao fighting for barangay seats in the October polls. (FREEMAN)