The Cebu City Association of Barangay Councils’ first general assembly in 2021. | Delta Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — All 80 barangays in Cebu City received a hot and cold water dispenser and industrial fans from the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) on March 19, 2021, as part of their last tranche of the Barangay Aid Incentives (BAI).
Kasambagan village chief and ABC president, ex-officio Councilor Franklyn Ong, said the money was leftovers of the P12 million barrio funds from 2019, which was from the city’s coffers.
Prior to this last tranche of distribution, there were already distributions of motorcycles, tents, sound systems, and computers for all barangays.
“Naa pa man tay gamay nga nabilin ug atong savings, amo nalang gipalit og water dispensers and industrial fans para pud sa tanan,” said Ong.
With the remaining funds, Ong said they decided to purchase water dispensers and industrial fans as these can be used in upcoming programs including the vaccination roll-out, which expected in six months.
The first quarterly assembly of the ABC was important as they tackled issues relevant for the coming months, especially the vaccine roll-out and the implementation of a city ordinance that requires barangays to provide Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials an office space per barangay.
The City Health Department (CHD) explained to the village chiefs their role in the vaccination program, especially that the barangay health workers (BHWs) will be tapped to conduct preregistrations and information drives.
The CHD explained to the barangay captains that they need to cooperate in order to maintain a smooth transport of the vaccine beneficiaries to the sites until their return home.
As for the barangays providing a space for SK officials, Ong said understandably some barangays simply do not have enough space to accommodate them.
SK Federation president, ex-officio Councilor Jessica Resch, appealed to the village chiefs to support the SKs and give them a place to work safely and securely.
“We are one with the SKs, they are members of the Liga ng Mga Barangays and we will always support the youth,” said Ong.
The ABC general assembly is done quarterly to help barangay chiefs raise their concerns for their barangays in terms of policies and execution.
Ong assured the village chiefs that the ABC will continue to support each barangay in the city. /rcg