Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Sapangdaku barangay chief disowns opposition ties
SAPANGDAKU’s Henry Labra denied he is allied with the Genuine Opposition (GO) two days after he was reported to have joined 12 other newly elected barangay chiefs.
He went to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s office yesterday to show where his loyalty lies, along with several barangay councilors who were part of outgoing Barangay Captain Rolando Gilbuena’s ticket.
Labra said the councilors shifted allegiance to him to unite for their constituents’ sake.
“United na ming tanan, walay opposition, para sa kaayohan sa barangay,” he said. (There is no opposition. This is for the good of the barangay.)
In an interview after meeting with the mayor, Labra said he was not at the Grand Convention Center last Sunday for the oath-taking of GO supported winners of the Oct. 29 barangay and youth elections.
Not present
“I was not there. That’s what I clarified to the mayor. My name was mentioned but I did not join,” he said.
Labra said that while he is a Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) member, he sided with Guardo in the local elections last May against reelected Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south).
In the barangay elections, he challenged Gilbuena, who was a BO-PK member.
In a separate interview, GO Cebu City chairman Jonathan Guardo said he believes that Labra just wanted to get help from City Hall and is confident that in his heart, the neophyte barangay captain is really for him.
“City Hall has resources. One cannot function well or give any services in the barangay without the support of the City. Pero sa kasing-kasing, dia gihapon siya nato,” Guardo said.
“You cannot do anything if City Hall shuts you out. I understand his move, especially that it his first term,” he added.
Priority
Mayor Tomas Osmeña, in a separate interview, said the BO-PK did not really consolidate its forces, which is why several barangays had more than one BO-PK-allied candidate running for village chief.
Last Sunday, GO-allied barangay captains, who Guardo said numbered 15, took their oath of office before Court of Appeals Judge Pampio Abarrintos.
“I will just prioritize the other barangays which don’t play this kind of politics. Pa martyr-martyr sila? Fine. Martyr sila,” the mayor said.
He also downplayed GO’s headway in the preparations for the 2010 elections.
But Guardo said he has many barangay captains who asked permission to join the BO-PK administered mass oath-taking tomorrow and Friday.
Although their loyalty lies with him, the barangay chiefs wanted to show that they are allied with the administration party, he said. (RHM)
