Rival parties in brgy. split meet

THE “Yes” and “No” proponents of the proposed separation of Banawa-Englis from Barangay Guadalupe met in a forum at the Guadalupe Sports Complex yesterday.

It was a prelude to the scheduled plebiscite on Saturday, July 28, to determine whether majority of the residents are in favor or against the proposal to split Guadalupe and make Banawa-Englis a separate barangay.

The forum was initiated by the Gabutan Clan de Cebu Inc. (GCDCI), Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu City, and the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.

Rep. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City, south district) dropped by the sports complex but left minutes later.

Osmeña earlier said he would leave it to the residents to decide on the proposed Guadalupe split because they know more about the issue.

Former congressman Antonio Cuenco and Mayor Michael Rama, who are in favor of the split, also attended the forum and spoke before the crowd.

Ordinance

It was the mayor, together with Ronald Cuenco, who sponsored an ordinance in the City Council creating Barangay Banawa-Englis in 1996.

But it was Ronald’s father, former congressman Cuenco, who pushed for the law in Congress creating the new barangay out of Guadalupe.

Both Rama and Cuenco urged the residents to go out on Saturday and let their votes be counted in the plebiscite.

Incidentally, Rama, Osmeña and Cuenco are voters in Guadalupe and they are expected to also cast their votes.

Representing the “Yes” proponents in the forum were Arnel Villaren and Jessie Sala of the United Banawa-Englis Association Inc. (UBEAI).

Garbage collection

They are pushing for the split so the delivery of the basic services will be more efficient, particularly garbage collection.

The “No” proponents were represented by Guadalupe Councilor Ven Montecillo and Engr. Rogelio Quijada Lim.

They believed it’s not yet time to split Guadalupe, which is the biggest barangay in the city in terms of population. It has 30,000 registered voters.

City Election Officer for the South District Edwin Cadungog said the forum was a good venue to educate the residents on the split issue.

Campaign

Cadungog said they will continue the information campaign in the barangay while the scheduled plebiscite draws near.

Cadungog said they will conduct a briefing for the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) on Friday to complete their preparation.

“Andam na man ang tanan, naa na atong mga parephernalia for the plebiscite, andam na atong mga presinto, mag-briefing na lang mi sa mga BEIs,” Cadungog said.