Tolentino to barangay leaders: Don’t let BBM-Sara row affect local governance

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SENATOR Francis Tolentino has urged barangay leaders to prioritize serving their communities amid the escalating political conflict between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.

Speaking at the 2024 Liga ng mga Barangay Cebu Province year-end assembly in Lapu-Lapu City on Tuesday, November 26, Tolentino underscored the vital role of local governance in ensuring stability during national controversies.

“Events happening right now in the national scene should not affect your governance. Events happening right now, toxic politics happening right now, should not anyway affect how you perform as barangay chairman,” he said.

Tolentino, who is the current majority floor leader at the Senate, urged barangay leaders to remain focused on local issues, emphasizing the significance of grassroots governance in shielding communities from national disputes.

He encouraged them to find inspiration in the “toxic” political environment to foster unity among barangay officials.

“Kahit nagkakagulo sila sa itaas kung ang barangay ay nagkakaisa wala pong epekto ‘yon,” he added.

Tolentino also criticized the ongoing rifts, urging leaders to shift their attention to real and pressing issues that require immediate action.

The rift between Marcos and Duterte worsened after Duterte’s controversial November 23 remark, in which she claimed she had instructed someone to target the President, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she were to be killed.

Duterte clarified that her statement was not a threat but a reaction to perceived hostility against her.

This remark follows a series of events marking the collapse of their 2022 political alliance, beginning with Duterte’s resignation from Marcos’ Cabinet in June 2024.

The conflict further intensified after the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) budget was reduced by nearly two-thirds under Romualdez’s leadership.

Law enforcement agencies immediately heightened security measures for the President and his family in response to Duterte’s assassination comment.

Critics, however, have condemned her statement as dangerous and divisive, exposing deeper tensions between the country’s leading political families.(MyTVCebu)