INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Philippines — It’s all systems go for the plebiscite to consolidate 28 barangays to only three villages in this city next month, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
The poll body has set the plebiscite on Oct. 8 as provided under Comelec Resolution No. 10796 issued on June 22, 2022.
At present, Ormoc has 110 barangays.
If the consolidation is ratified, Barangays 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 17, 23 and 27 will be known as Barangay South; Barangays 9, 10, 11, 16, 18, 25 and 28 will be known as Barangay East; and villages 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24 and 26 will be known as Barangay West.
The current Barangay 29 will be renamed as Barangay North.
The city government allocated P8 million for the merger of villages involving a population of about 7,600.
For better services
Comelec Eastern Visayas Regional Director Jose Nick Mendros said security preparations for the forthcoming plebiscite have been put in place.
Based on the Comelec calendar of activities, the campaign period would be from Sept. 24 to Oct. 6.
Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres Gomez, a merger proponent, said combining the barangays is meant to facilitate better management and development of these villages.
“Because if you see the reason, it’s obvious it will redound to better services for the people,” Gomez said.
Leyte Fourth District Rep. Richard Gomez, the former mayor of the city, said most of the affected villages are small and they could not provide needed facilities like health centers and barangay halls.
“They could not even hire their own tanods (village watchmen) due to their small population,” he said.
He said it was initially difficult to convince the barangay leaders to consolidate their villages but they later gave their support when they realized it would redound to the benefit of their constituents.
The Ormoc City Council, on Jan. 19, 2021, enacted an ordinance on the village mergers.
The ordinance requires a plebiscite and the determination of an affirmation will be based on the majority vote of the proposed administrative subdivision and not by a majority vote per village.
—JOEY GABIETA
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