Council asks brgys to settle ABC dues

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council is asking the barangays to settle their proportionate share contributions and annual membership dues to the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC).

Acting on the request of ABC President and T. Padilla Barangay Captain Michael Ralota, the City Council requires all delinquent and non-paying member barangays in the city to settle their dues on or before June 30.

     “Up to now, there are still some member-barangays of the ABC which have not yet paid and settled their proportionate share contributions and annual membership dues to the ABC,” according to Ralota.

In the resolution filed by Ralota which was approved by the council, the barangays were reminded of Article 214 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Local Government Code mandating that the funds of the leagues and the Liga ng mga Barangay shall be sourced from contributions of member LGUs.

As of May, half of the barangays in Cebu City have yet to pay their dues.

Ralota, who is also Central Visayas president of ABC, said he will pass a resolution in league to make the proportionate share mandatory, saying payment of contributions and dues is necessary.

“Just like taxes, it is the lifeblood of the ABC without which the association is left with little or no choice but to request for grants and other forms of financial aid from the city government by way of a supplemental budget for  urgent and necessary expenses,” Ralota said.

Ralota noticed that some of the disbursement vouchers of the barangays do not indicate their willingness to pay their ABC dues and contributions.

Earlier, Barangay Basak San Nicolas used to give P210,000 to the ABC but Barangay Captain George Rama said he prefers to implement projects for his barangay instead of coursing it through the association.

But Rama, who is a vocal critic of Ralota, said he will pay ABC’s membership fee of P25,000 as mandated by the league’s by-laws.

He said the ABC can collect over P7 million a year if all of the 80 barangays pay their dues to the association (membership fee and proportionate share).

ABC has already suspended the hospitalization and burial assistance to barangay officials and employees for lack of funds. Hospitalization aid is P20,000 for a barangay captain; P10,000 for a councilor; and P5,000 for an employee.

Ralota said the City Government’s assistance to the ABC is being withheld because the previous set of officers failed to liquidate a cash advance of P1.5 million. — (FREEMAN)