Livelihood stalls proposal returned to barangay

THE 31st regular session of the City Council last Monday tackled several important issues, among them the proposal by the Sto. Nino Slaughterhouse Compound Barangay intending to put up so called livelihood stalls as a fund raising project of the said barangay.

The proposal submitted to the City Council came in the form of a resolution of the said barangay entitled “Resolution to construct livelihood stalls for the Barangay Council of Sto. Nino Slaughter 2010-2013,” and basing the conduct of the said activity on the powers of the sangguniang barangay to hold fund raising activities for their various projects. While the barangay resolution itself did not contain reasons as to why there is a need construct said livelihood stalls village chief Camilo Tacbas appeared before the City Council and attempted to justify their project. Among the reasons he gave is that the barangay officials receive a mere pittance as their honoraria which makes it doubly difficult for them to address various requests for financial assistance from their constituents. He reasoned out that by pursuing such type of fund raising activity the barangay council would be able to raise funds and make available financial means by the barangay to help out their constituency.

Village chief Tacbas earlier suggested that the fund raising project would be supervised and managed by the Sto. Nino Slaughterhouse cooperative, but upon query of City Councilor Philian Louise Weygan-Allan as to whether such cooperative had been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (CDA) or the Cooperative Development Authority, but appeared to backtracked and signified that it would have to be the barangay council itself which would manage the said project.

Some of the other City Councilors such as Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda and Councilor Erdolfo Balajadia also queried village chief on the venue of the said fund raising activity and the place where the stalls will be constructed. Upon confirmation by the said village chief that the said project will be conducted at the City owned Terminal 2 at the slaughterhouse compound, both councilors suggested that it would be better if the barangay will first obtain permission and authority from the city for the use of such place since it is a government property.

While most for the City councilors were in agreement that the planned fund raising activity of the said barangay is noble in intention they agreed that the said proposal should be returned to the barangay to incorporate their suggestions and recommendations on how it should be run. It may be recalled that the said project proposal that prior to its deliberation in the council it was referred to the Committee on Employment, livelihood, cooperatives, handicapped and differently abled persons chaired by City Councilor Fred Bagbagen for study and recommendation, in turn the committee submitted its recommendation to the august body to invite village chief Camilo Tacbas in order to clarify matters pertaining to the above barangay resolution as the said proposal lacks justification on why the barangay council should be allowed to appropriate stalls for themselves.

It may further be recalled that under Republic Act 7160 otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, barangay councils are given the authority to conduct fund raising activities to augment funds for their various projects. City Councilor Joel Alangsab, during deliberation of the said matter, even explained that barangays under the said law are allowed to enter into entrepreneurial activities under their proprietary functions in order to supplement their barangay funds in the implementation of various barangay projects.

Finally with the return of the said proposal back to the barangay concerned, the necessary changes as suggested by the members of the august body would have to be made so that when it will be returned to the City Council for its action, a more favorable consideration would be obtained by the said barangay.