EDITORIAL - The only real question in a headcount

The latest news is that 10 barangay captains previously allied with the BOPK of Tomas Osmeña have now moved over to the side of Team Rama. This brings to 70 the number of barangay captains supporting Michael Rama. Since Cebu City only has 80 barangays, that means Osmeña can only count on the support of 10. But that is not surprising. In fact, what is surprising is that Osmeña still has 10.

Barangay captains are not the same as city councilors. BOPK has more allied councilors in the city council than Team Rama. This is because city councilors are not as dependent on the incumbent as are barangay captains. Barangay captains are in charge of real jurisdictions. They are responsible for delivery of basic services in their respective areas. City councilors merely represent either of only two districts in the city.

Besides, in the ideal setting, city councilors being the legislators that they are, are supposed to only take care of legislation with a mind for the interests of the particular district he or she represents. In the ideal setting, being the legislators that they are, city councilors are not supposed to bother themselves with the delivery of basic services and the provision of projects. That is the responsibility of barangay captains.

That is why, with barangay shares from internal revenues supposedly never enough for any barangay to be self-sufficient, barangay captains are often left with no choice but to go where the money is. And the money is always with the administration, or more specifically the mayor. Of course, the city council has a grip on the purse strings of the city, but it still needs to disburse or approve disbursements anyway, or they run the risk of courting the public's ire.

All that it means for the city council to have the purse strings of the city in its grip is to ensure that the money is spent wisely in accordance with a good and legal purpose. Otherwise, it really has no say at all as it is the mayor who truly has the say on where the money goes. An unfriendly council can only frustrate the wishes of a mayor for some time. But eventually it will have to go along or else the councilors will get lynched by a public in search of their taxes' worth.

With barangay captains it is different. Barangay captains do not legislate, or simply sit tight and be quiet when not legislating the way city councilors are supposed to do. Barangay captains need to deliver. And there are no ifs or buts when they cannot. There is simply no excuse for non-delivery. So, in order to ensure delivery, barangay captains need to be in a position where they can look after the interests of their barangays.

And that is almost always with the administration, in this case with Team Rama. As the barangay captains used to be with Osmeña when he was mayor, so are they now with Rama now that he has taken over. That is simply how the cookie crumbles. If the purpose of the headcount is to get an inkling of how barangays will go when the 2016 elections come around, perhaps the real question to ask is how influential is a barangay captain with his constitutents. Will they take his lead in voting?