Guadalupe chief promises fair services to Banawa and Englis

NOW that the plebiscite is over, the barangay chief of Guadalupe hopes attempts to dismember his barangay will stop after the people decided to keep it intact.

Guadalupe barangay captain Michael Gacasan assured fair delivery of basic services in the entire barangay after the residents rejected the split to carve out sitios Banawa and Englis from the barangay.

Gacasan, who campaigned for the ‘no’ votes in last Saturday’s plebiscite, however asked the residents especially the residents of Banawa and Englis to also do their share.

“I’d rather they also go to the barangay hall to tell us what they want and what their problems are so we can attend to their needs,” he said in Cebuano.

Gacasan reiterated his denial to claims that the two sitios are neglected in terms of basic services.

Gacasan said sitios Banawa and Englis could be far from the barangay hall but still, they have collected their garbage and acted on drainage problems, among other services..

Gacasan also said that he is happy and glad that the people have spoken.

He said the people of his barangay didn’t want to destroy its image as the biggest barangay in Cebu City and one of the  biggest in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Guadalupe has a land area of almost 600 hectares and an annual income of P22 million Gacasan said.

While its voting population is at 28,421 but based on 2007 census, the total population of the barangay is 49,956.

In last Saturday’s plebiscite, the residents of Guadalupe rejected the move to split the biggest barangay of Cebu City.

The turnout however was only 42.5 percent or only 12,097 voters participated out of the 28,421 registered voters in the barangay.

But the result showed an overwhelming ‘No’ votes of 8,107 or 67 percent as against the ‘Yes’ votes of 3,990 or around 32 percent.

With the ‘No’ votes prevailing, Republic Act 9905 authored by former Cebu City south district congressman Antonio Cuenco seeking the creation of barangay Banawa-Englis was not ratified. /Jhunnex Napallacan, Correspondent