• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Victorias City Barangay 2 chairman Richard Julius Sablan has been elected president of the Provincial Liga ng mga Barangay in Negros Occidental.
Sablan, who succeeded Juvy Pepello also of Victorias City, led the new set of officers who all ran unopposed during the election held at the Seda Hotel in Bacolod City on Friday.
Other elected officers were Annabelle Bermudo (La Carlota City), vice president; Jerome Agustin, auditor (Cauayan); and Henry Alcorin (Don Salvador Benedicto), Marlon Malacon (E.B. Magalona), Elir Borres (Sipalay City), Ronnie Salo (Manapla), Freddie Mongcal (Hinigaran), Rico Regalia (Kabankalan City), Alfred Martin Cui (San Carlos City), and Paul Leonard de Oca (Talisay City), board of directors.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who administered the oathtaking rites, said he expects the new set of officers to embrace their responsibility with “utmost consistency”.
“You must promote inclusivity and ensure that everyone is heard, as it is the essence of democracy,” Lacson said, as he urged them to remain conscious and aware of the sentiments and needs of the people.
“Effective governance is built on collaboration and unity of purpose,” he added.
Sablan said he will continue the community-based rehabilitation program (CBRP) initiated by his predecessor.
“This is for the plan to make Negros Occidental drug-free. There are cities and municipalities with barangays left behind. There are some barangays where the process is ongoing to become drug-free,” he said.
Out of the 601 villages in the province, 460 have been declared cleared of illegal drugs.
Lacson earlier said that one of the most important advocacies of the local government, particularly in the barangay level, is the eradication of substance abuse through the CBRP. | GB
