Sunday, December 02, 2007 For 10 of 27 village bosses, it’s a new job
THERE is help for the 10 new Mandaue City barangay captains who are unfamiliar with what they are supposed to do, especially on the implementation of the Electronic New Government Accounting System (E-NGAS).
Mayor Jonas Cortes has tapped City Hall’s department heads and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to assist them.
Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president Joy Ouano also scheduled an orientation seminar for them tomorrow.
Barangay Councilor Mick Alivio, Basak’s former barangay captain, said that at least five of the neophyte village chiefs have worked for a long time with their barangay councils.
But the others are incapable, he said, citing one who did not have a single resolution or ordinance approved in his nine years as barangay councilor. Alivio said they will likely fare badly in fiscal management, permit issuance, and implementing the E-NGAS.
Although it gives barangay chiefs a free hand in managing their finances, the E-NGAS also makes the ignorant liable if they fail to follow procedures.
This, Alivio said, may force a village leader to spend extra to hire an accountant.
Ouano shared his concern, saying the E-NGAS is also one of her worries, after some outgoing barangay officials failed to properly turn over properties and funds to the new ones.
In her case, no inventory and turnover of properties and records was realized because some outgoing councilors skipped their last session last Nov. 28.
She said barangay captains faced with the same situation could report to concerned agencies all items and properties that were not properly handed to them, so they would not be held accountable for whatever items are reported missing later on.
If the outgoing officials do not make the reports, the new officials could ask the ABC or the DILG to demand for the report in their behalf.
If that still does not work, a written report to the Commission on Audit, City Accounting Office, Liga ng mga Barangay and the city mayor might.
Anticipating these problems, Cortes has asked the DILG for help and specifically instructed the City’s legal, engineering and accounting offices to prioritize the 10 of the city’s 27 village chiefs.
“Even the veteran barangay captains do not know much,” said Cortes, who admitted facing the same problem with the E-NGAS when he took over as mayor.
Ouano said the orientation for all barangay captains tomorrow is at the SDC building, in front of the City Social Welfare Service.
She and DILG City Director Louella Lucino will conduct an “executive briefing” to discuss the barangay officials’ duties and responsibilities.
Meanwhile, Canduman’s new Barangay Captain Leo Jabas, who assumed office yesterday, is confident he can do his job well. He said he already identified Canduman’s problems when he was still a barangay councilor.
He cited drainage problem as the barangay’s primary concern.
As well as road improvement and widening, solving their drainage woes is part of the National Government’s Cabancalan-Canduman bridge project, he said.
Jabas said that because his former barangay secretary is now a barangay councilor, and their treasurer is still around, the E-NGAS will not be a problem for him. His worry is that most of their barangay tanods have resigned. (OCP)
