Rotary Metro-Baguio cites top village chiefs

By Ramon Dacawi 

BAGUIO CITY -- Four barangay captains were catapulted to the Hall of Fame while 10 others were honored as this year’s most outstanding  in the Rotary Club of Metro Baguio’s search for the city’s top performing grassroots leaders.

      

Mayor Mauricio Domogan assisted club president Lyman Salvador, search committee chair Homer Manansala and club secretary Oscar Matusalin in handing the plaques of recognition to the winners at the 19^th awards night last Tuesday at the Margarita Hall of Supreme Hotel.

      

Installed in the Hall of Fame for winning for the third straight year were village chiefs Aurora Abellera of City Camp Proper, Gloria Corazon Dalisay of Quezon Hill Proper, Michael Karl Flores of Kabayanihan and Arturo Rapelo of Imelda Village.

      

Hailed as the year’s most outstanding were JustinaAndaya of Fairview, Martin Anglog of LoakanApugan, FerdyBayasen of Guisad Central, Ferdinand Bucad of Hillside, SoteroDulaycan of Pinsao Pilot Project, Thomas Dumalti of Irisan, Lillian Somera of Victoria Village,  RoyTao-ey of Gibraltar, JesusaVizcaya of Loakan Proper and Horacio Willy of  Pinsao Proper.

      

It was the fifth time Willy won the award, having garnered it  two years in a row twice before , while Andaya, Dumalti and Tao-ey represent the three biggest barangays of the city in terms of area and population.

      

“What is Baguio without your sacrifices 24 hours a day?,” mayor Domogan told the city’s 128 village chiefs and their councils represented by the honorees of the evening. “I hope that you remain dedicated and passionate in serving as I can not over-emphasize the need for us to continue our team work.” 

      

He cited the Rotarians for “sustaining this very good and vital civic activity” that they launched in 1993. “I am very sure the Grand Architect of the Universe has prepared a special award for all of you,” he told the men and women members of the chapter of the international service organization.

      

In her response, Abellera admitted the extreme sacrifices of village chiefs. She cited their present task of monitoring proper segregation and collection of trash in their respective communities.

      

“We can be trash collectors but our hearts bleed when our barangays are declared as the dirtiest,” she said in Filipino.

      

Speaking for his fellow best of the year, Bayasen  said they were sharing the award “with our teammates and those equally deserving of the same but did not make it”.

      

Aside from the other village chiefs, he also cited the Rotary and other groups who forged partnerships in bringing basic services to the barangays.

      

The present challenge, he said, is effecting a “paradigm shift” towards reducing disposable packaging that contributes immensely to the increase in garbage being generated by the city.

      

“Whatever happened to the old family picnic (wherein no disposable packaging is used that contributes to garbage generation)?,” he wondered.

      

Salvador pointed out that the multi-hat role of barangay captains serving as executive, legislative and judiciary head-servants any time of the day and night in their respective communities “entails a lot of immeasurable sacrifice” .

      

“The whole city runs this (awards) project,”  he added, saying it is a partnership with the city government, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and other sponsors.

      

City councilor and past Rotary chapter president Fred Bagbagen said the criteria used in the selection included focus on tourism, peace and other, anti-squatting, anti-drug abuse campaign, human rights promotion, health and sanitation, effectiveness of the barangay justice system, budgeting and annual report.