COUNCILOR J. Melchor Quitain Jr. on Tuesday said renaming the barangays in the Población District will take time, as it will require the people’s vote.
“Along the course of the committee hearing, we found out there is a need for a plebiscite that entails expenses,” Quitain told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.
He added they will consult with the Commission on Elections for the estimated cost of the plebiscite.
Quitain said the barangays are often recognized by their landmarks, such as 5-A, which is popularly known as Bankerohan, as it is where the city’s biggest public market is situated. Unlike the second and third district barangays, which feature distinct names.
Under the first congressional district, there are 40 barangays in Poblacion namely: 1-A, 2-A, 3-A, 4-A, 5-A, 6-A, 7-A, 8-A, 9-A, 10-A, 11-B, 12-B, 13-B, 14-B, 15-B, 16-B, 17-B, 18-B, 19-B, 20-B, 21-C, 22-C, 23-C, 24-C, 25-C, 26-C, 27-C, 28-C, 29-C, 30-C, 31-D, 32-D, 33-D, 34-D, 35-D, 36-D, 37-D, 38-D, 39-D, and 40-D.
“Sa Poblacion lang naman ang 1-40. All the rest of the barangays in the second and third districts may pangalan naman. Sa akin, para may pangalan kasi unusual,” he said.
Quitain said that in the plebiscite, there will be options of names and the Sanguniang Barangay will choose among the options. But the list must be consulted with the National Historical Commission in line with Section 11 of the Local Government Code.
The cost of the plebiscite will be shouldered by the city government, so it’s not a priority at the moment, considering the budget constraints.
“At least I will start it, so that everything goes back to normal, maybe it can happen,” he said.
He will meet with the barangay chairman of the affected barangays at the Sept. 15 committee hearing to instruct them to brainstorm possible names to be eventually submitted to the NHCP.
