Audit barangay officials’ performance

Ever wonder how sometimes the cosmic forces conspire against you and no matter how positive you try to be, your day goes from bad to worse?

One morning, our family was rudely awakened by the news that our water meter was stolen in the middle of the night. I can live with waking up to no electricity, but having no water to shower is a huge pain and inconvenience.

We called Manila Water to request a replacement and was informed that we had to get a certificate of loss from our barangay captain (of Barangay Maytunas, San Juan City) before it can proceed with the replacement.

At the barangay captain’s office, we were informed to return at 3 p.m. because the staff, together with the “kapitana,” were still asleep from late night partying at a fiesta. In other words, these people who were voted into office could not issue the necessary papers because they were literally sleeping on the job, in effect wasting our time and taxpayers’ money. When we insisted on the urgency of issuing the document, even informing them that we had already called Manila Water to replace the meter, the incompetent staffer replied, “Call back Manila Water and tell them to return after 3 p.m. because that’s the only time the kapitana can sign the paper.”

The arrogant response, not to mention the shabby treatment from a lowly official of the barangay is a reflection of how incompetent people are voted into office and get to enjoy public money without doing anything at all. These are the same people who have slept on their job after several incidents of side mirror theft in our barangay. With officials like these, how can anyone feel safe?

May I call on San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez to make a performance audit of the barangay officials in San Juan to jolt them back into actually doing some good for the municipality?

—ANNA ABAD,

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