ANGELES CITY – Barangay officials here have vowed to stage more protest actions against the planned restoration of a village merged in Malabanias.
Barangay Captain Edison Nacu of Malabanias yesterday assailed Councilor Agapito “Pitong” Del Rosario “for giving them problems with the revival of Sitio Santol as a village because it causes confusion and divisiveness.”
An ally of Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno, Del Rosario recently sponsored an ordinance “reconforming” the existence of Barangay Santol as the 34th village of this city.
“There so many things to do for the city and yet Councilor Pitong does unimportant things such as the restoration of Sitio Santol,” said Nacu, who led a protest action during a hearing at the city council session hall last week. He vowed to lead more protest actions against the restoration of Santol.
“After the passage of Pitong’s ordinance, some people in Santol do not want to follow us anymore as if they are on their own already,” he added.
Del Rosario, for his part, said his ordinance “was mere confirmation that there is a Barangay Santol which was abandoned sometime in 1965 when there was lack of peace and order there.”
He said Sitio Santol residents have asked him to act on the separation of Santol from Malabanias.
“I am not just the councilor of Nacu but other residents as well,” he said.
He added that he had pushed for the committee hearing to determine if he will move for the restoration of Santol as a village.
Del Rosario said Santol had been merged to three villages – Anunas, Malabanias and Amsic – after it was abandoned. But he added that Anunas had gotten most part of Santol.
“If there is one deserving village for Santol it is Anunas,” said Del Rosario, adding that when Nacu was a Malabanias councilor, he had signed a resolution recognizing the existence of Barangay Santol.
Rey Gueco, barangay administrator of Malabanias, said “what the councilor had been doing was illegal.” He cited Chapter 1, sections 385 and 386 of the Local Government Code where “restoration of a village” was not mentioned.
Gueco said “Pitong had put the cart before the horse” as he called for committee hearings after the approval and passage of the ordinance.
Gueco said he had been puzzled over the “motive of Councilor Del Rosario over the restoration of Santol.”
“To think that our village chief is an ally of Mayor Nepomuceno,” he added.
Gueco said that those who want to revive Santol “are residents of the Sitios who lost in the recent barangay elections.” He added that they want to have their own village because they couldn’t win posts in Malabanias.
Nacu said Santol covers almost t half of the total 24,496 square meter land area of Malabanias. He added that several major business establishments such as Oasis and Clarkton hotels are part of Santol.
“It will be a big blow to the income of Malabanias if they separate Santol from us,” said Nacu, a first-term village chief. He added that the Malabanias Elementary School is in Santol.
“It will be crazy if they remove our big elementary school from us and rename it Santol,” said Nacu.
As of last year, Malabanias has a population of 23,244 while Santol has some 2,000 residents.
Barangay Captain Edison Nacu of Malabanias yesterday assailed Councilor Agapito “Pitong” Del Rosario “for giving them problems with the revival of Sitio Santol as a village because it causes confusion and divisiveness.”
An ally of Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno, Del Rosario recently sponsored an ordinance “reconforming” the existence of Barangay Santol as the 34th village of this city.
“There so many things to do for the city and yet Councilor Pitong does unimportant things such as the restoration of Sitio Santol,” said Nacu, who led a protest action during a hearing at the city council session hall last week. He vowed to lead more protest actions against the restoration of Santol.
“After the passage of Pitong’s ordinance, some people in Santol do not want to follow us anymore as if they are on their own already,” he added.
Del Rosario, for his part, said his ordinance “was mere confirmation that there is a Barangay Santol which was abandoned sometime in 1965 when there was lack of peace and order there.”
He said Sitio Santol residents have asked him to act on the separation of Santol from Malabanias.
“I am not just the councilor of Nacu but other residents as well,” he said.
He added that he had pushed for the committee hearing to determine if he will move for the restoration of Santol as a village.
Del Rosario said Santol had been merged to three villages – Anunas, Malabanias and Amsic – after it was abandoned. But he added that Anunas had gotten most part of Santol.
“If there is one deserving village for Santol it is Anunas,” said Del Rosario, adding that when Nacu was a Malabanias councilor, he had signed a resolution recognizing the existence of Barangay Santol.
Rey Gueco, barangay administrator of Malabanias, said “what the councilor had been doing was illegal.” He cited Chapter 1, sections 385 and 386 of the Local Government Code where “restoration of a village” was not mentioned.
Gueco said “Pitong had put the cart before the horse” as he called for committee hearings after the approval and passage of the ordinance.
Gueco said he had been puzzled over the “motive of Councilor Del Rosario over the restoration of Santol.”
“To think that our village chief is an ally of Mayor Nepomuceno,” he added.
Gueco said that those who want to revive Santol “are residents of the Sitios who lost in the recent barangay elections.” He added that they want to have their own village because they couldn’t win posts in Malabanias.
Nacu said Santol covers almost t half of the total 24,496 square meter land area of Malabanias. He added that several major business establishments such as Oasis and Clarkton hotels are part of Santol.
“It will be a big blow to the income of Malabanias if they separate Santol from us,” said Nacu, a first-term village chief. He added that the Malabanias Elementary School is in Santol.
“It will be crazy if they remove our big elementary school from us and rename it Santol,” said Nacu.
As of last year, Malabanias has a population of 23,244 while Santol has some 2,000 residents.
