24/7 BRGY HALLS? It is not achievable, Liga president says

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

Mayor Jerry Treñas wants all barangay halls in the metro to open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to cater to the needs of residents.

But Treñas’s plan may not be viable for the 180 barangays, Liga ng mga Barangay President and City Councilor Irene Ong said Monday.

According to Ong, the honorarium of barangay officials cannot compensate for a 24/7 duty period in the barangay halls.

“Ang ina nga plano daw indi gid matabo kay kami sa barangay sa mga honorarium pa lang namon daw indi gid pwede,” Ong said.

The councilor lamented that some barangays don’t even have enough barangay tanods in their respective areas.

“Pwede man tani mabutangan tanod ang mga barangays halls, pero may ara gid wala tanod and wala gid gusto nga matanod,” Ong said.

Treñas said he wants barangay halls to open 24/7 to accommodate residents who need help but do not have the time to go to police stations.

“Ang akon lang tani nga 24/7 para kon may mga kinahanglanon, may ara sila kadtu-an kay teh mabudlay man pirmi magkadto sa aton nga police stations pero sa pag-istorya ko kay Councilor Ong mabudlayan sila, then we will see what will happen,” Treñas said.

While the 24/7 operations of barangay halls might be impossible, Ong assured that all barangay officials report to their respective barangay halls from Monday to Friday to attend to residents who are in need of help.

“Monday to Friday ang barangay officials ta ara man lang sila sa barangay halls from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday ara man lang da sila sa barangay on-call and kalabanan sa mga barangay halls may CCTV,” Ong noted.