Residents of San Fernando town wait for hours along the road on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, for the arrival of the remains of slain Councilor Ricardo “Nonoy” Reluya, the president of the town’s Liga ng mga Barangays (association of barangay councils) and husband of Mayor Lakambini “Neneth” Reluya, who was among the three fatalities when the mayor’s van was ambushed in Talisay City on January 22, 2019. The mayor was wounded in the attack.| CDNDigital Photo/Tonee Despojo
SAN FERNANDO, Cebu — A leadership vacuum continues to exist in the Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) in San Fernando town, 38.2 kilometers south of Cebu City, with the top two positions still left vacant nearly two months since the separate ambush-slay of the two barangay captains previously occupying the seats.
The town’s LnB president, Panadtaran Barangay Captain Ricardo “Nonoy” Reluya Jr., and the vice president, Magsico Barangay Captain Johnny Arriesgado, were killed just a week apart of each other last January.
Reluya, who was municipal councilor presenting the LnB, was killed in an ambush in Talisay City last January 22 that also took the lives of two town employees – driver Allan Bayot and municipal investment officer Ricky Montenora – and injured his wife, San Fernando Mayor Lakambini “Neneth” Reluya.
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A week before Reluya’s death, the town’s LnB vice president, Magsico Barangay Captain Johnny Arriesgado, was gunned down in Barangay South Poblacion in San Fernando on January 16.
A staff in the town’s LnB office, speaking on condition of anonimity for lack of authority to speak to the media, revealed that the remaining officials of the LnB have yet to pass the resolution that will seek approval from the league’s national board of director that will allow the municipal LnB to conduct a special elections in order to fill up the seats for the president and vice president.
Jerome Gonzales, the provincial director of the Deparment of Interior and Local Governments (DILG) in Cebu, has explained in earlier interviews that the rule of succession for the LnB is only up to the vice president; hence, the secretary of the town’s LnB and the other officials cannot simply assume the next higher position to fill up the vacant seats.
The LnB-San Fernando office staff said that the secretary has drafted the resolution from their past two regular sessions in February and March but this has still to be approved by the body.
The San Fernando LnB holds only one regular session a month, which is every first Thursday of the month.
“Hopefully this April (4) session, kay first Thursday of the month man na ilang session, ma-approve na to ang resolution but naa na tay draft for the election of the next LnB president for San Fernando, ” the staff said.
If the resolution will be approved, it will be endorsed to the LnB Cebu Provincial Federation for approval before it will be transmitted to the national board for approval.
In the absence of a president and vice president, the LNB staff said sessions are currently presided by Sangat Barangay Chairman Ramulfo Sasuman, a member of the municipal LNB board of directors.
“For now, if naay communications regarding concerns sa mga barangay, naa man mi nga tawo assigned in every barangay so normal gihapon ang delivery of services,” she added./elb
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