CEBU, Philippines – Despite his alliance with opposition party Kugi Uswag Sugbo (KUSUG), Jose Navarro, the newly elected barangay captain of Punta Princesa said he will work with Mayor Michael Rama.
Rama is with the administration group Bando Osmeña - Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) headed by former mayor and current Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas Osmeña.
In yesterday's turnover ceremony at the Don Vicente Memorial Gym in Punta Princesa. Navarro said he will focus his attention on his barangay and not on politics.
In his speech, Navarro thanked the residents of Punta Princesa for reinstalling him as barangay captain. He said it is his goal to make Punta Princesa the number one barangay in the Philippines. There are 438,000 barangays in the country.
Navarro announced that Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. whom he met in Manila recently reportedly pledged P15 million worth of assistance to Punta Princesa. The amount will be used to renovate the barangay's public market.
He said he also met with Senator Manuel Villar who also reportedly assured him of P15 million to be used to fix the barangay's drainage system.
"Wala'y permamenteng amigo o amiga sa politika kay lain-lain man ug ambisyon kada-usa namo," Navarro said.
His predecessor, Rodulfo Diorico of BOPK, himself welcomed Navarro to the post with a big silver key as a symbol of official turnover. Navarro said he invited Rama and officials of the Commission on Audit to yesterday's event but not one attended.
Navarro was one of the opposition leaders during the term of Osmeña's erstwhile friend and ally, former mayor Alvin Garcia.
Osmeña recently criticized Rama for being friends with opposition leaders, but Rama stood his ground and said he is confident of running the city well with the new set of barangay officials.
Navarro's first order of business was to request COA to audit the barangay, saying he is not aware of the Punta Princesa's financial status and he would need the same for inventory. (FREEMAN)