BACOLOD City – The punong barangay of Singcang-Airport in this city has been designated as the spokesperson of the local chief executive.
In a press conference on Monday, March 11, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez disclosed designating Atty. Caesar Distrito as his mediator, effective immediately.
“I asked him to help us out and act as a spokesperson sa aton. We are just looking at how we can engage him in my official capacity, but definitely, you may refer to him and ask him questions about what we are doing here starting today,” Benitez said.
The mayor explained that there is no conflict with Distrito being a village chief because the latter is not asking for compensation.
“Ang indi lang pwede ang double compensation; waay man siya nagapangayo sang compensation. Considering that, there might be no conflict,” Benitez added.
He then explained that Distrito gave him options as well since punong barangays are under the supervision of the mayor.
“Maybe expand his responsibility and mandate to include the other parts of the city,” the local chief executive also mentioned.
On his part, Distrito said he accepted such an assignment and expressed his gratitude for the mayor’s trust.
“Being an incumbent punong barangay, and like all other punong barangays, we are under the general supervision of the mayor. It is within his prerogative and authority to assign or designate appointed city employees and even elected barangay officials to perform other functions that are not in conflict with his primary duty, and in my case, as punong barangay,” Distrito added.
He cited, “Civil Service (Commission) rules allow also elected public officials to accept consultancy contracts as long as they are only part-time, especially for a lawyer like me, and the law considers this only as a practice of profession. CSC Res. No. 93-2310 and CSC Res. No. 021264 clearly stipulate the policy on such a matter.”
Distrito assures his constituents in Barangay Singcang-Airport that his additional assignment will not in any way interfere with his job as punong barangay.
“I am always aware that my primary duty is that of being the local chief executive of Barangay Singcang-Airport,” the lawyer said./PN
