Barangay leaders lukewarm on tapping economic advisors

SOME barangays are opposed to a proposal by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to appoint their own economic and investment officers, saying they don’t have the funds to do so.

Pahina Central barangay captain Carlo Yap said while he supports the mayor’s plan, they don’t have a budget for the honoraria of these officers.

“We already removed 18 street cleaners. Can’t City Hall pay for them?” he asked.

Rama proposed that these barangay economic and investment officers (BEIOs) will compile and store data on their barangay’s economic activities and investment potentials.

The BEIOs will also coordinate with the city government in identifying policies needed to enhance the city’s business climate and act as livelihood coordinators linking government agencies to determine trainings for the barangays.

“We need BEIOs to check what people in their barangay specializes on so that when investors come, we can refer the data. We will no longer be groping in the dark,” said lawyer Rene Bautista, one of Rama’s consultants.

Rama sent Bautista to the Association of Barangay Council’s (ABC) assembly last Saturday to explain the role of BEIOs.

Bautista said they will set aside a P2,000 budget for each BEIO in every barangay.

He said they would require the barangays to allot an additional P2,000 budget for each of their BEIOs as their counterpart fund.

Quiot barangay captain Jun Ramos said the planned creation of BEIOs should be postponed next year so that the barangay’s counterpart funds for their stipend would be included in the 2013 budget.

The mayor’s consultant told the assembly that the city now ranks low in the list of best cities in the country based on Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) standard.

Bautista said this is because the city lacks a Local Investment Code, Environmental Code and Local Investment and Incentive Code, all of which are directed towards inviting investments to the city.

Smaller cities like General Santos already have these three codes required by DILG, he said. “We are now trying to fill the gap,” said Bautista.

But before doing these, Bautista said the city needed point persons in the 80 barangays who will do the economic research and investment data needed. Correspondent Edison delos Angeles