Saturday, February 02, 2008 Gathering unites guv, Medellin officials
AFTER years of bickering, Medellin officials requested Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to administer the oath of office of the new barangay captains of the municipality late last year.
Medellin Mayor Ricardo Ramirez then welcomed Garcia during a northern road inspection also last year.
In their first official visit to the Capitol yesterday, Ramirez led town officials, including Vice Mayor Michael Miranda, to a meeting in which they asked the governor for help with municipal projects.
Rep. Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu Province, 4th district) also went with them.
The project that Ramirez emphasized was a water system, for which Garcia did not hesitate to offer the Capitol’s assistance.
“The governor will not blink an eye on the cost,” Ramirez told reporters right after the meeting.
Most of the water supply in Medellin, explained Ramirez, is controlled by cooperatives, private entities or the barangays.
But there have been complaints of poor service and insufficient water supply.
Ramirez said that the number of residents of Medellin has risen, yet water supply was the same as 10 years ago.
Major infrastructure projects are also badly needed by the municipality.
The Capitol’s thrust is to turn over water systems to the municipalities concerned. Garcia told barangay captains of Daanbantayan in a previous meeting that the municipality is in a better position to take control of the water system rather than the barangays or any cooperative or private entity.
The municipality will be held accountable for the water system.
Medellin has allocated P1 million for additional infrastructure for the water system and P500,000 for expansion and repairs.
The Provincial Government, for its part, will shell out about P5-P6 million to buy pipes and water pumps.
Ramirez, who used to be an ally of Bogo City Mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr., used to trade barbs with Garcia. Shortly after the 2007 election, he said that a word war would be an exercise in futility. (JGA)
