CEBU CITY -- Some barangay captains fear their colleagues who want to run for city councilor will defect to the opposition if they will not be carried by the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) ticket.

They also hinted on the possibility of businessman Jonathan Guardo joining the BOPK if he decides to seek a lower position instead of the south district's congressional seat.

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Guardo, meanwhile, accused Cebu City Hall of merely replicating his projects in the south district.

Sto. Niño barangay captain Pancho Ramirez Sr. said Wednesday that several barangay captains expressed interest to run for a seat in the City Council, but only five slots will be vacated by councilors who are on their last terms.

BOPK will need only three candidates for councilors in the north district and two in the south district to complete its lineup for the 2010 elections.

Ramirez said that from what they heard, the barangay captains who already expressed interest in running are Eliodoro Sanchez of Busay, Nida Cabrera of Luz, Michael Ralota of T. Padilla, Jose Marino Benedicto of Zapatera, and lawyer Sisinio Andales of Pahina Central.

After the inaugural session Wednesday, some barangay captains said there are others who also want to run for the City Council.

Ramirez told reporters it was possible that the barangay captains who cannot be accommodated will transfer to the opposition.

"Mao na ang among kuyawan, na daghan ang gusto mudagan unya dili kuhaon sa BOPK, so mubalhin na lang sa pikas (That's what we are afraid of, that those who want to run but can't be accommodated will go to the other side)," he said.

Survey

Acting Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Councilor Augustus Pe Jr., meanwhile, said they cannot stop the barangay captains from running and defecting.

Rama said this is the reason they will conduct surveys so they can be guided on who among the possible candidates will be favored by the people.

"Dili gyud ta maka-stop sa desire, but at the end of the day, there will be some data that will guide us, including survey results. If the barangay captains want, they can give us the data themselves to show us how they fare. But they should also be practical to accept the results kay ug dili gyud diay pwede, nganong pugson man?" he said.

When Mayor Tomas Osmeña arrives on July 15, eight north district barangay captains will endorse to him the candidacy of T. Padilla barangay captain Michael Ralota, one of those who want to run for city councilor in the north.

Sta. Cruz Barangay Captain Jerome Lim said the City Council and their constituents need somebody like Ralota who has a good reputation and moral standing.

Copycat

Guardo, meanwhile, accused Cebu City of merely copying his projects. The local opposition leader raised the accusation after officials promised to improve Cebu City Hall's burial assistance and self-help projects following a consultation where barangay captains asked for a more efficient implementation of existing City Government programs.

Guardo questioned the "timing" of the consultation and the promise that the barangay captains' concerns will be addressed. He said that if not for the elections and his programs such as burial assistance, the City would not be adopting them.

"The BOPK is replicating my programs...which they timed for the elections. If they are really serious about them, they should have done it a long time ago," Guardo said.

"They (BOPK) are doing it to counter my efforts," Guardo said, adding that he buckled down to work for the south district immediately after he lost in the 2007 race.

Incumbent Representative Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) defeated Guardo during that year's election.

And while he did not say that BOPK barangay captains have shown interest in joining the opposition, Guardo said most of them are his friends who sometimes confide to them their concerns.

"And remember that many of them used to be with the opposition," he said, referring to the time when most of the 80 barangay captains were allies of former mayor Alvin Garcia. They jumped camp when Osmeña took over.

Funding

In a separate interview, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president Eugenio Faelnar said the burial assistance of the city has long been there. He said what the barangay captains asked was for the city to fine-tune it.

What is happening, Faelnar said, is that once the funds are depleted, it takes months and even a year for them to be replenished and for the recipients to get their assistance.

He said that he has been telling the administration not to mind if one project has been started by others, particularly by the opposition, saying what matters is that public service is rendered.

"Kay abi nakauna ang uban dili na lang sad ta. What if naa nay nakauna sa tanan, wala na tay serbisyo ihatag sa mga tawo?" he said. (Linette C. Ramos and Rene H. Martel/Sun.Star Cebu)