While 8,000 votes may not be much in a local election, they did count for something in last Saturday’s plebiscite in Guadalupe. They sent a resounding signal to proponents of the barangay’s split that the residents don’t want to see their area broken up, at least for now.
Former congressman Antonio Cuenco said as much even before the official results came in late Saturday evening. Nevertehless, he said the plebiscite was still a “beautiful expression of democracy at work” even if it did entail additional work and expense on the part of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The acceptance of the plebiscite results at least signified that proponents of the barangay split were ready for any eventuality and that there was no hanky-panky done that would merit a complaint from them.
If it were an actual election, last Saturday’s political exercise would have reached the courts and stayed there for years. We wonder whether a “yes” vote outcome would have sparked riots among Guadalupe residents and caused a standoff between Guadalupe officials and Banawa-Englis wanna-be candidates for barangay posts.
One thing was clear when the law on the Guadalupe plebiscite was approved last 2010. It gave Banawa-Englis residents some attention and even a bit of leverage in their dealings with barangay Guadalupe officials.
The Banawa-Englis folk had every reason to complain about being left out in the delivery of services by barangay officials causing some of them to ask Cuenco to do something about it.
The plebiscite was a response to the failure of past barangay officials to look after their needs and it worked out the way it was intended, which is it got the attention of city officials even if at first there were signs the results would have gone the other way.
Now that the fate of barangay Guadalupe is settled, its officials cannot afford to be smug and dismiss the plebiscite results as an affirmation that they’ve been doing all right in serving their constituents.
On the contrary, they should do something to assure Banawa-Englis residents that they will establish a strong presence in their area. Mayor Michael Rama’s previous suggestion to build satellite offices in their area would give some assurance of visibility to these residents.
We hope that any satellite office would be staffed and accessible to Banawa-Englis residents so they can air their sentiments and officials can address their immediate needs.
City Hall officials, especially in the Rama administration, would do well to pay more attention to them now, not just because they have the biggest number of voters in Cebu City but because they can also help the city government achieve its programs for them. It’s time for local officials to give something back.