by Bohol Standard
In a recent interview with representatives from media, the punong barangays of Buenavista, Katipunan, Montesuerte, Poblacion Norte, and Villaflor, the five barangays of Carmen from where the Prosperity Teams were pulled out by the mayor, all expressed that they understood that the Prosperity Teams designated in their barangays were looking to the welfare of the people.
The barangay captains said that although they understood that the pull-out is controversial, they also saw that the program would have greatly benefited their constituents.
Some even expressed that they look to the return of the said Prosperity Teams or ProTeams after the threshing out of issues between those concerned, especially since these had already started out on their house-to-house surveys on what developments the people wanted for their purok.
The ProTeams are in part implementers of the Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and, with the coordination of the provincial government through the leadership of Governor Edgar Chatto and Vice Governor Concepcion Lim, of the Countryside Development Program through the Purok Power Movement.
From what they had seen on the activities conducted by the ProTeams, the barangay captains all reported that the ProTeam for their respective barangay had reported to them right after making a courtesy call at the mayor’s office and coordination meeting with the municipal government earlier that week.
Thereafter, each ProTeam had requested to meet with the barangay council on the next day. However, barely a week had passed before reports reached them on the morning of March 30 that the mayor wanted the ProTeams to pull out of the town.
In their accounts, among the activities conducted by the ProTeam in each barangay was a house-to-house survey of the puroks asking residents on what facilities or services their sitio needed and on what livelihood opportunities or assistance they believed their purok could have use for.
Among the developments that some of them listed the program could have helped with were barangay roads, small farm reservoirs, farm-to-market roads, and livelihood assistance.
The five barangay captains said that they did not want the issue to become political fodder and some said that they had hoped it could have been held as an example of unity of those serving in government, especially since it involved several departments and agencies from the national government, provincial government, and even volunteers from the private sector.
It was earlier said that Mayor Che Toribio-de los Reyes wanted the ProTeams pulled out of her town because of activities that accordingly did not sit well with her, but one of the barangay captains put forward that one of the possible reasons why she blocked the implementation of the program in her town is her reported plan to run for the office of governor in next year’s elections.
The barangay heads were united in saying that as punong barangays they only wanted to serve their constituents and also to abide by the directives from their higher-ups, adding that they would receive any assistance offered as long as it is for the good of their people.
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