Switching Sides: BOPK captains now moving to Barug?

CEBU, Philippines — Just a day after Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña disclosed that several opposition barangay captains want to move to his team, the Bando Osmeña - Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), Vice Mayor Edgar Labella announced that several BOPK barangay captains are reportedly bolting out.

He also said that Osmeña’s pronouncement may not be true.

“Because of our same desire with that of the president, I don’t think there are any barangay captains who used to be affiliated with us will transfer to the other group,” Labella said.

Like the mayor, Labella said Barug PDP-Laban will announce the names of its new recruits after the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

As far as the May 14 elections are concerned, Labella said Barug PDP-Laban is making sure that it will only have one set of candidates for every barangay.

“We have to iron out this problem because nagka-doble doble ang ubang barangay sa mga kandidato. We can resolve this minor problem that we can have only one set of candidates per barangay from our group,” Labella said.

Labella is confident that Barug PDP-Laban will still have more allies who will win in the May 14 polls.

“For as long we share the same advocacy with that of the president to fight against narco-politics, fight against illegal drugs, fight against the deeply rooted corruption, I don’t think these barangay captains will move to the other side,” Labella said.

After the elections, all elected barangay captains will elect their president in the Association of Barangay Councils – Cebu City Chapter. The president will sit as ex-officio member of the City Council.

The same goes to all elected chairmen of the SK.

However, whether or not the opposition will get the majority seats in the City Council, Labella said opposition councilors will remain objective in their work and will not simply be obstructionists.

Earlier, Osmeña said BOPK will accept barangay officials from Barug PDP-Laban only after the elections to ensure that BOPK will get the majority in the City Council whose standing is 9-8 in favor of the opposition.

“Just remind them after the elections: I’m still the mayor…. Maybe they will all win or lose. It’s the people who will decide so we will just wait till the elections,” he said.

In a related development, the mayor is still looking for a replacement for Ma. Nida Cabrera, the head of the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), who resigned from her post so she could run for barangay captain of Luz anew.

Cabrera said she will still help CCENRO in her private capacity, considering that there are projects pending like the waste-to-energy facility, landfill rehabilitation, and the 10-year plan of solid waste management in the city, among others. —/JMO (FREEMAN)