Ex-officio council member calls for unity among Cebu City barangays

As new ex-officio member of the Cebu City Council, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President Franklyn Ong asked for unity among the 80 barangays following their heated federation elections.

In his first privilege speech as councilor, Ong said he will work on improving the delivery of services in the barangays.

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Aside from accounting and engineering services, Ong said he wants to expand the information technology services from IDs to software program, and training barangay personnel in issuing clearances and gathering data.

He also wants to set up a legal team for consultation and other legal services for barangay officials.

“These are just a few of the many things I want to do for my fellow barangay officials. I am confident that with the help of the honorable members of this council and our departments, we can do so much more,” Ong said.

In an interview, Ong said he is looking forward to participating in future discussions of the council.

His first regular session lasted more than five hours because of intense discussions.

“It’s very exciting. It’s normal (heated discussions), we expected this kay nakita namo ang naa sa (because we saw what was on the) agenda. This is it,” Ong said.

The ABC president, though, declined from disclosing details on future legislative measures he will be pursuing.