Wednesday, December 19, 2007 No politics in hiring of engineer for Talamban hall project: chief
IN a move that can strain further the relationship among administration party members, Barangay Talamban, Cebu City yesterday re-hired as project engineer former Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) employee Leah Rondez.
Rondez had filed a complaint that led to the suspension of ABC officials.
Except for Camputhaw’s Lorenzo Basamot, Guadalupe Barangay Captain Eugenio Faelnar and the incumbent ABC board members are facing a criminal case in the Sandiganbayan after Rondez sued them.
Talamban Barangay Captain Alvin Arcilla said they hired Rondez last September for the construction of their barangay hall.
‘Most qualified’
The move, he said, was not meant to antagonize the current ABC officials but because Rondez was the most qualified engineer available, in terms of experience in public works and projects.
Talamban is building its barangay hall and the ABC board’s engineering team came up with a program of works and estimates (POWE) of over P12 million, much higher than the P7.6 million that Rondez prepared.
Rondez, he said, also helped in coming up with POWEs for Talamban’s drainage project.
Faelnar and the ABC board members were suspended for 90 days last year while the Sandiganbayan is hearing the case that stemmed from the complaint of Rondez, who was fired in 2002.
Faelnar and the ABC board officials had refused to grant her request for reimbursement of gasoline expenses totaling P4,300, which she incurred while working for the ABC.
No guarantees
And while he had backed out from the race for ABC president after Mayor Tomas Osmeña told him that he lost in the straw balloting, Arcilla said it does not mean he will vote for Faelnar.
He said that if other barangay captains, even those identified with the opposition, will run and have better credentials compared to Faelnar, he will chose them.
He also said that Sambag I’s Jerry Guardo could send him his qualifications so he could go over them and decide.
Jerry was endorsed by the opposition to run as alternative candidate.
“I was asked if I would vote for (Faelnar). I said I would choose the person who is more qualified (for the post). The barangay (elections) is supposed to be non-political and non-partisan,” Arcilla said.
But Arcilla said he was just speaking for himself and he would not ask other barangay captains who are on his side to do the same.
Last Monday, at least 60 barangay captains, including a few opposition allies, picked 11 from their ranks as ABC candidates to complete the slate of Faelnar, whom the BOPK will support as its sole candidate for ABC president.
Lahug’s Mary Ann de los Santos, an opposition stalwart, said they will likely boycott the Dec. 29 ABC election.
Sore point
In a press conference yesterday, Osmeña said it is not because of Rondez that Arcilla ended up being dropped as ABC president candidate.
“No, it was not a factor. But it was brought out because when I had suggested him as candidate, there were some reactions from some barangay captains,” the mayor said.
“Maybe for some barangay captains it was a sore point,” he added.
In a separate interview, Arcilla said the barangay terminated the services of Rondez when the mayor endorsed him for ABC president.
But he still hired and used his own money to pay her as personal consultant to help him, an industrial engineer, in constructing the barangay hall.
Yesterday, the barangay passed a solution re-hiring Rondez “effective immediately.” She will get a P5,000 monthly honorarium.
Osmeña acknowledged Arcilla’s frustration, but said he cannot do anything about it since the barangay captains picked Faelnar over him.
“But he still enjoys my full support. I will just remind him that when Jing-Jing was not planning to run yet, I chose him among many others,” he said.
“I hope he can appreciate that because it was an unsolicited move. Of all the barangay captains, I chose him,” the mayor added. (RHM)
