Ong to MILO, other City Hall appointees: Coordinate with brgy officials

Franklyn Ong, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay -Cebu City Chapter. | File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Let us set aside politics.

This was the appeal of Councilor Franklyn Ong, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay – Cebu City Chapter, to all appointees of Mayor Edgardo Labella including those who are assigned as the Mayor’s Information Liaison Officers (MILO) in the 80 barangays.

Ong said their presence often cause problems at the baragay level.

“To be honest, that is one of our challenges. Nakita nato nga bisan unsaon pa og pronouncement ni Mayor Labella nga wa’y politics, ang problema man gyud ana, sometimes, tungod aning existing MILO, kining mga barangay, usahay magka-problema gyud,” he said in an interview after the Liga’s second quarter assembly held on Monday, June 21, 2021.

(To be honest, that is one of our challenges. We could very well see that despite the pronouncement of Mayor [Edgardo] Labella that there is no politics involved, but because of the existing MILO, barangays are often faced with problems.)

However, Ong did not specify what these problems are.

In April 2020, City Hall tasked the MILOs to distribute the quarantine passes especially in barangays where the sitting barangay captain is allied with Bando Osmena – Pundok Kausgwana (BO-PK) which resulted to confusion and redundancy.

READ: Barangay vs MILO, who holds the turf in the barangays?

Ong, who is also Kasambagan barangay captain, said that a City Hall appointed Barangay Environmental Officer (BOE) is assigned in his barangay.

But he has not seen this BEO since his deployment in their area.

“Even my barangay, naa mi BEO pero wala gyud mi kakita. So, di siya mo-report. I don’t know giunsa pag-monitor nila,” he added.

(Even in my barangay we have a BEO but we have not seen him. So, he does not report. I don’t know how they are being monitored.)

During the Liga’s open forum, Inawayan Barangay Captain Kirk Bryan Repollo shared that he could not also feel the presence of the MILO who is assigned in his barangay.

“I cannot feel their presence in our barangay. Because, as reported, makit-an lang naglingkod-lingkod lang sa daplin. Og naay maglabay og basura kay dili gani mo-call sa attention (they are often seen sitting on corners.  And if someone throws garbage, they do not even bother to call their attention),” he said.

Ong said conflicts can be avoided if the MILO and other city hall appointees, who are assigned in the barangays, will coordinate with the respective barangay officials.

“Among panawagan gyud, (my appeal is) let’s work together because this is for the good of the people. If we keep on fighting each other, if one party fights [the] other party, kon kinsay maka-puwesto, mo fight sa pikas, di ta mahuman – ang mag antos ani ang katawhan (whoever is in power will fight the other camp, this will never come to an end and the people will suffer),” he said.

“So, for me, coordination, work together because ang mo benefit ani, ang katawhan. Dili nato gusto nga tungod sa away, ma-sakpripisyo ang katawhan, di nato mahatagan og maayong serbisyo (I do not want our differences to result to the deprivation of services to our constituents, not giving them the services that they deserve)” he added. / dcb