ALAMINOS CITY — Mayor Hernani Baganza has denied it was politics that made him reject the provincial government’s move to arm barangay chairmen.

Braganza told a recent forum in this city attended by his barangay officials that the city might accept the firearms if they were to be given to the city police whose members, he pointed out, are duly authorized to carry guns.

He appealed to the governor, a retired colonel of the Philippine National Police, to just give the shotguns to the local police which still lacks firearms to this day.

Clarifying that he has nothing against Espino who, he said, saved him when he was still a young activist in the mid 70s while Espino was yet Metrodiscom Commander in Angeles City under the Philippine Constabulary, Braganza said his opposition is based on pure consideration of greater public welfare.

He said he had concerns on the propriety of just giving guns to civilians or government officials  including barangay chairmen because of possible abuses and misuses, citing an incident where a certain barangay captain from a nearby town shot a boy. (See separate story in this issue of Star)

He said he was leaving the matter to the barangay chairmen if they want to receive the firearms. It appears the city’s barangays officials  agreed with their mayor’s stand on the issue.

Fifteen of the village chiefs however received the shotguns after they were reportedly personally invited to the turnover ceremonies by Governor Espino. The 15 barangay heads are now being asked to explain why they received the same despite a resolution passed by the city government turning down the guns for the barangay captains.

Braganza said that of the barangay captains of Alaminos City who received shotguns from the provincial government last September 19 in Lingayen, five now want to return the same to the provincial government through the local police.

He said he is giving the others a chance to turn the firearm over to the Liga ng mga Barangay president Helen Bumagat, barangay captain of Amandiego, who will return the same to the capitol.

Braganza now seems to be the only local executive opposed to the province’s project with the shift of position by Burgos Mayor Domingo Doctor, who had earlier voiced out concerns about the project, but claimed later that he had been  misquoted by the media.

Doctor said his statements and questions expressing reservations on the issuance of the shotguns without any proper guidelines on their use which he aired before a visiting PNP Deputy Director-General Jesus Verzosa during the recent Pangasinan Mayors’ League meeting was “taken out of context” by the media .

He said he  was actually supportive of the move to arm village chairmen which position he showed later when he joined the turnover of shotguns to the town’s barangay captains.

In the fourth district, Mangaldan Mayor Herminio Romero was quoted by the media as complaining why the firearms were being issued directly to the barangay officials without the courtesy of informing the mayor.

Fourth district Rep. Jose de Venecia, Jr. had earlier already expressed his concerns about the arming of barangay officials.