Rama: Uncooperative barangay chiefs on clearing will have to face DILG

A glimpse of General Maxilom Avenue after clearing operations on December 30, 2021. | Photo Courtesy of Cebu City PIO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama leaves it to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to reprimand barangays who failed to do their part in the clearing operations following Typhoon Odette.

Rama said that the city cannot force the barangays to do their part and they will have to be answerable to their own constituents who elected them into office.

“DILG will take care of it. It is not my cup of tea filing cases whatsoever. The barangays know their job,” said the mayor.

The mayor is not also certain if the lack of cooperation by the barangay chiefs has delayed the clearing operations of the city post-typhoon, but this may have caused significant inconvenience to residents.

Instead, the city will work on clearing as many roads as it can so that the thoroughfares will be passable especially for utility workers such as the Visayan Electric contractors and linemen who are fixing the electrical lines.

Rama reiterated that the city government will not depend on the barangays for the rehabilitation efforts, but the barangays must cooperate as well if they want their residents to be able to recover from the devastation.

“If they are lukewarm, they should not be answering to me, they should be answering their own constituents,” he said.

Still, the city is willing to provide any help to the barangays should they need any and if the barangays also seek the help of the city.

The city government has already begun distributing aid to the affected households and there are also sacks of rice distributed to each barangay to be distributed at their discretion.     /rcg

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