Rama to put up Banawa-Englis satellite brgy hall

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama will put up a satellite barangay hall for sitios Banawa and Englis in Barangay Guadalupe to assist the barangay officials in addressing the needs of their constituents.

Rama made the announcement two days after residents of Barangay Guadalupe had rejected, through a plebiscite last Saturday, the proposed split of Guadalupe to create Barangay Banawa-Englis.

According to the mayor, he is worried that the residents of the two sitios may not be given good services from the barangay as most of the residents of Banawa and Englis wanted the split.The mayor instructed Assistant City Administrator Dominic Dino to prepare an executive order for this purpose for immediate implementation.

Rama said the Local Government Code provides that the city can assist the barangay to provide solution to its needs. Thus, his order must not be viewed as interference in the duties and responsibilities of the officials of barangay Guadalupe.

Residents of Banawa and Englis have been complaining that for several years, barangay officials have failed to attend to their needs, particularly on garbage collection and other basic services.

Rama said he can assign garbage trucks to regularly collect the garbage of the two sitios, although Guadalupe Barangay Captain Michael Gacasan assured that he will not stop giving basic services to the two sitios.

Rama said he is willing to lease a space within Banawa or Englis that will serve as satellite barangay hall.

Of the 28,000 voting population of Barangay Guadalupe, 8,000 of them are living in Banawa and Englis. 

But Cebu City Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young reacted to the mayor’s plan to establish a satellite barangay hall.

“Why can’t he accept the fact that he lost? He campaigned for the split of Guadalupe and he is probably the reason why they lost,” Young said.

If the mayor will lease a building to be used as satellite barangay hall, he would need the approval of the members of the City Council, which is presided by the vice mayor.  (FREEMAN)