The Cebu Provincial Board recently passed a resolution about plans for ten members to travel to New York City for a week-long study tour and workshop on drug rehabilitation where they would observe operations in Daytop Village.
The invitation was relayed by PB Member Gigi Sanchez-Zaballero. I understand where Zaballero is coming from because her brother Greco, a drug dependent has been in and out of rehabilitation, and she wants to help him and others in a similar situation.
But I humbly submit that I am against the use of scarce provincial funds to pay for the travel and seminar fees. In the first place, those who plan to attend are legislators elected by the people to make laws and not to implement them. They have no business in the seminar.
But if Gigi Sanchez-Zaballero really wants to help her brother, I suggest she go by herself. If other board members insist on going, they could visit some rehabilitation centers in other provinces.
After the new administration of Gov. Hilario Davide III committed to be very careful in handling the people’s money, it should focus on activities that can benefit with minimal expense.
I hope Davide listens to the people and advises PB members to reconsider their decision.
* * *
I don’t know who has the authority or is the custodian in charge of managing barangay properties like multi-purpose courts. In barangay Punta Princesa, the covered court was built on land owned by the barangay with national funds from the pork barrel of former congressman Tomas Osmeña.
Due to this, the homeowners’ association whose members are close to Osmeña insist on managing the facility and contest the right of barangay officials to do so. The officials insist that the courts were completed using national government funds.
The City Council dominated by the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan made the picture complex by passing a resolution mandating the homeowners’ association to manage the courts. In response, the barangay captain of Punta Princesa is going to court to question the legality and propriety of the council’s resolution.
I favor legal action so that the issue can ultimately be settled by the court and enrich jurisprudence. What I know is that the mayor is custodian of all properties in a local government. So there may be basis for the barangay captain to question the council’s act of delegating management of the barangay property to a private group.
The mere fact that the courts were built using pork barrel funds of a congressman does not make him the owner of the properties.
* * *
I would like to call the attention of Globe Telecommunications to my home broadband connection. Ever since I subscribed to Globe I have not encountered any problem with my Wi-Fi connection until three weeks ago.
The connection went on and off again. Two weeks ago, it went off completely. I’ve been calling Globe’s customer hotline 211 five times but they keep repeating an apology saying there is something wrong with their connection in barangay Basak San Nicolas.
I go online to research for my column and other purposes. I’m totally disappointed with the service of Globe Telecommunications and promised myself that if the Web connection isn’t restored this week, I’ll terminate my subscription and transfer to another provider that offers better service.
I religiously pay my monthly bill of P2,300 but I am not getting the kind of service that I expect.