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MANDAUE CITY, Philippines ? Barangay (village) councilors of Mandaue City have formed their own league.
?Now we have one voice,? said barangay Councilor Marcelino Alivio of Basak, president of the new Barangay Councilors League (BCL).
Alivio will sit down with Mandaue City?s barangay captains during their monthly meeting with Mayor Jonas Cortes, according to the Mandaue City Information Office.
Most BCL members are affiliated with the Cortes administration, noted Jovita Tuela ?Joy? Ouano, president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC).
?I hope (the group) will not be used for political reasons,? she said.
Ouano?s relationship with Cortes was strained during the controversial barangay elections in December 2007 when her leadership in the ABC was challenged.
Since then, the group still does not have a clear set of officers.
Ouano said the functions of the new BCL duplicated those of the ABC, which is mostly composed of barangay captains.
The BCL is composed of 115 barangay councilors from Mandaue City. All in all, the city has 189 barangay councilors.
The group elected its first set of officers: Alivio as president, Banilad barangay Councilor Dianne Christine Bercede-Abanes as vice president, Junil Almodiel of Cambaro as secretary, Bernardo Lumapas Jr. of Bakilid as treasurer, May Ceniza of Mantuyong as auditor, and Gladys Dumalagan of Jagobiao as press relations officer.
Ouano said the existence of the BCL would not affect the ABC, since it is the ABC that is recognized by law, as indicated by the presence of the ABC president in the City Council.
Ouano said barangay projects would also continue to be coursed through the ABC.
Ouano said it is a common misconception among first-time barangay councilors that they are not part of the ABC.
?Membership of the ABC does not only include the barangay captains. It also includes the barangay councilors. It is just that the barangay captains represent their respective barangay councils,? Ouano said.
Alivio, 68, was the barangay captain of Basak from 1969 to 1988. He served on the Basak barangay council since 1994.
The BCL approved its own constitution and by-laws. Among its provisions are schedules for the group?s regular meetings and a focus on solid waste management programs.
During the controversial ABC election in December 2007, a number of barangay captains walked out following Ouano?s announcement that she would not allow certain village chiefs to vote due to a number of conditions.
While Ouano proceeded with the elections with the barangay captains who remained in the room with her, those who walked out conducted their own elections in another room, resulting in two sets of officers for the city?s ABC ? one headed by Ouano, and another headed by Banilad barangay Captain Glenn Bercede.
The conflict was brought to the ABC national federation for resolution. A decision is still pending.
