CEBU CITY – The Association of Barangay Councils (ABC)-Cebu City vowed a more efficient delivery of service to the public and its members after it moved to a new office here in Thursday, Dec. 1.
City officials led by Mayor Michael Rama, ABC-Cebu City president Franklyn Ong, Rep. Rachel del Mar, and Vice Mayor Raymond Garcia led the blessing of the new office at the ABC building at the corner of Jakosalem and M.C. Briones Streets.
Ong said the new office will bring the ABC-Cebu City closer to the public because of its strategic location.
“Before, we held our office in South Road Properties which is far from the city and has no route for public transportation. This new office is located just across the City Hall so it would be easy for transactions,” Ong said.
The ABC-Cebu City funded the renovation of the office after the old office at SRP was damaged by typhoon ‘’Odette’’ last year, said Ong.
Ong thanked Rama for helping the ABC-Cebu City have its own office within this city as it will inspire the organization to do more.
“ABC-Cebu City is very unique because we do not only craft policies but we also provide services to all barangays in the city such as engineering and bookkeeping. This is a very strategic location because it is just across the City Hall,” said Ong.
Also during the blessing of its new office, the ABC-Cebu City signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Central Visayas (DILG-7) and the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) School of Law for legal assistance to this city’s 80 barangays.
Under the agreement, USJ-R will provide law student practitioners as paralegals who will assist barangays and their constituents.
The DILG-Cebu City will assist paralegals from USJR in implementing of the Clinical Legal Education Program in barangays here.
Conducting seminars and trainings that will help barangay officials understand various laws are also part of the agreement.