Saturday, October 27, 2007 Barangay bet gives out gov’t medicines:Talisay dad
AN opposition city councilor yesterday cried foul over the distribution of government-purchased medicines allegedly by an aspirant for barangay captain in San Isidro, Ta-lisay City.
Councilor Alan Bucao said the group of Ma. Adelaida Restauro has reportedly been distributing over-the-counter (OTC) medicines during their campaign sorties in at least four sitios of San Isidro—Ilang-ilang, Mahayahay, Tiago and Crossing.
Marietta Bucao, Alan’s wife, is running for barangay captain against Ma. Adelaida, the wife of incumbent City Councilor Serrie Restauro.
Their candidacies set a five-way fight for the village chief of San Isidro, one of Talisay’s voter-rich barangays.
Distribution
Bucao said that Restauro’s group took advantage of the government-purchased medicines by distributing them during the campaign period.
The group even allegedly tapped the barangay health workers to distribute the medicines.
Bucao, a former vice mayor and the 3rd Sangguniang Panglungsod number one councilor, said he already informed City Election Officer Corazon Moran about this illegal distribution of medicines.
Ma. Adelaida, an incumbent barangay councilor, has the support of outgoing San Isidro Barangay Captain Regino Sanchez, who is running for a council seat, as he already completed his third and last term.
On behalf of his wife, Councilor Restauro denied the distribution, saying the medicines can only be obtained only at the barangay health clinic.
“It’s not true. We will not resort to that because that is against the elections law. They only have a wrong notion about it,” the legislator said.
Tarpaulin
Councilor Restauro explained that the distribution of paracetamol, cough and cold tablets and other OTC drugs is a year-round activity in the barangay, with a budget of P100,000.
Meanwhile, Bucao also questioned the tarpaulin of Claudio Parba, another barangay captain aspirant of San Isidro, as it reportedly bears the photo of Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district).
The tarpaulin, he said, shows the group picture of Parba’s slate, which include Gullas, who is considered a political leader in Cebu first district.
Bucao does not believe, though, that the inclusion of Gullas’ picture in the tarpaulin had a prior consent of the congressman.
He said that Gullas will not involve himself in the barangay elections because it has been declared a non-partisan political exercise. (GC)
