Angela Librado-Trinidad (left) gets support from former Mayor Sara Duterte (right) in her candidacy for barangay chair of Matina Crossing or 74-A. (davaotoday.com photo by Medel V. Hernani)
By TYRONE A. VELEZ
Davao Today
Davao Today
Davao City – Erstwhile stronghold of the Nograles camp, Barangay 74-A Matina Crossing, which is one of the largest barangays in the city, has declared after Monday’s elections a new barangay captain closely identified with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
From being a college editor-in-chief, Sangguniang Kabataan chair, to city councilor, close Duterte ally Angela Librado-Trinidad now holds a new title — barangay captain.
On Monday’s barangay election the activist-feminist lawyer beat three other contenders for the leadership of Barangay Matina Crossing 74-A, in her first foray into barangay politics since holding the SK leadership two decades ago.
Librado got 5,371 votes beating her closest opponent, outgoing barangay councilor Samson Villasis who garnered 3,985 votes. Another councilor Ike Yuzon got 2,735 votes while Jonathan Santes, brother of incumbent barangay captain Joel Santes got 1,396 votes.
Santes had been identified as a staunch supporter of Duterte nemesis former House Speaker Prospero ‘Boy’ Nograles and current first district Rep. Karlo Nograles.
The proclamation was made Monday night at Matina Central Elementary School.
Librado thanked supporters as she said she would usher in a new brand of political leadership in her barangay.
She said her campaign was met with criticisms on her partisan politics and experience.
“I never saw my experience as a city councilor for nine years as an advantage. In fact it became an issue against me,” Librado said.
“It was rumored that the non-support of some influential groups to my bid was based mainly on my affiliation with Bayan Muna (partylist),” she added.
But her victory, she said, showed “that the people believe in the principles Bayan Muna is espousing.”
Librado served as city councilor from 2001 to 2010 under the local political party Hugpong of the Duterte and with support from Bayan Muna Partylist.
As councilor, Librado authored city ordinances including the establishment of the city’s gender and development office, women’s reproductive health clinic, overseas Filipino workers (OFW) center, and an ordinance on children’s welfare.
She supported Bayan Muna’s legislation among which called for increase benefits for workers and government employees, protection of women and human rights victims, and the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Act, Electricity and Power Industry Reform Act, and Mining Act, among others.
As barangay captain, she would now focus, aside from these advocacies, on “getting the worth of people’s money and people’s trust by delivering services to her constituents.”
Librado said one of her priority agenda is to review the barangay’s programs and budget that, she said, was “heavily is skewed.”
“Out of the P15 million budget (of the barangay), P10 million is allocated for executive -legislative services and operational expenses. Only P3-million goes to development projects,” she said.
Librado’s foray into politics started in her college days as editor-in-chief of Atenews, Ateneo de Davao University’s campus paper in 1991. She was also officer of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, which joined the nationwide campaign for the abrogation of the US military bases.
Her father was labor leader and Martial Law detainee Erasto ‘Nonoy’ Librado, who briefly served as city councilor in 1992, and her mother Marlene Librado, who finished her husband’s term and secured two additional terms.
(Tyrone A. Velez, davaotoday.com)
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