Don’t abandon responsibilities
Do not resign, and wear your uniform with pride instead.
This is the appeal of Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak to the more than a hundred barangay personnel of Ermita who threatened to resign following the suspension of all their village officials.
“Leaving your jobs would mean abandoning your responsibilities to the community. Wear your uniforms, even in the absence of a barangay captain. Stand proud that you’re working for Ermita,” he said.
Tumulak, who is deputy mayor for police matters, met with the personnel yesterday in the local gym to address several concerns, among which is their planned mass resignation.
The workers earlier said they will resign should their suspended officials be replaced with non-residents of Ermita.
Suspended earlier by the Om- budsman-Visayas are barangay captain Felicisimo Rupinta and his seven councilors—Marky Rizaldy Miral, Antonieto Flores, Ryan Jay Rosas, Alio Tamundo, Domingo Ando, Maria Bianghug and Wilbert Flores—after they allegedly failed to cooperate with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency 7 during a drug raid last year.
The suspension order was served to the village officials last Tuesday by the Department of Interior and Local Government.
Aside from their planned resignation, the workers also brought up concerns on the processing of clearances, garbage collection and repair of utilities.
While he may not be authorized to sign documents or appoint personalities, Tumulak said he is willing to give inputs, not as acting caretaker but as a “volunteer.”
He said he will help the ba- rangay without any political agenda, and as an elected official, he will sign the requests of Ermita to be submitted to the Office of the Mayor.
“It’s high time a city official stand up for them. This is also to stop any possible plans to proliferate drugs in Ermita again,” Tumulak said.
He also asked the Cebu City Police Office to conduct foot patrol to “show the residents that there is an existing government in Ermita.”