Tom won’t stop Talamban from hiring Engr. Rondez

Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said he will not stop Talamban barangay captain Alvin Arcilla from engaging the services of Leah Rondez as engineer of his barangay.

Osmeña said although the issue was brought up during his meeting with the barangay captains, it was never the reason why Arcilla was not chosen to run as president of the Association of Barangay Councils.

“I think he needs her there,” Osmeña said, adding that he could not say the exact reason why Arcilla hired Rondez to be the barangay engineer.

Osmeña clarified that he had never endorsed anyone for the ABC post except Arcilla.

However, he said, when Guadalupe barangay captain Eugenio Faelnar had a change of heart and announced that he is seeking reelection, he had no choice but to get the opinion of the other barangay leaders through straw balloting, in which Faelnar won.

Despite that, Osmeña said he did not endorse Faelnar because he had already endorsed Arcilla. But he said it was the decision of the barangay captains that they want Faelnar to be the candidate of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan and he has to respect it.

The mayor also admitted that some barangay captains reacted to the decision of Talamban in hiring Rondez as its barangay engineer.

“The barangay captains want me to decide as the leader of BO-PK. It was neutralized when Faelnar said he wants to run. It put me in quandary so I decided to do my own survey by asking the barangay captains to give me their preference,” Osmeña said. 

The mayor said Arcilla may have frustrations after he was not chosen as the bet of the BO-PK to run as ABC president but “that’s the way it is.”

Despite that, Osmeña said he would still give Arcilla his full support and would encourage him to focus on his own barangay.

Rondez was the former engineer of the ABC who was terminated when Faelnar assumed office as ABC president. She had filed a complaint before the Ombudsman and regional trial court that caused the suspension of the entire ABC board officials.

In an interview, Arcilla clarified that his decision to hire Rondez was not his but of the barangay council.

He said Rondez was hired sometime in September, even before the barangay elections and the issue on ABC presidency came out.

“It was the decision of the council to hire her and she applied for it. I don’t see any problem with her because she’s doing a good job. In fact, she has finished many program of works already that were signed by the city engineer,” Arcilla said. “In fairness to her, she did not discuss any politics when she applied for the job.”

Arcilla said they hired Rondez specifically for their four-storey barangay hall project, which they saved a lot of money because of her.

He added that other barangays like Labangon, Lahug, Apas, Poblacion Pardo, among others, also hire the services of Rondez.

Arcilla also clarified that although he has some frustrations, he is still willing to throw his full support for Faelnar.

Likewise, he urged Faelnar to work with all the barangay captains regardless of their political affiliations. – Wenna A. Berondo/LPM