Punongbarangay Annalou Alcala of Cotta in an exclusive interview with Sentinel Times. (JOHNBELLO) by John A. Bello LUCENA CITY – S...
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Punongbarangay Annalou Alcala of Cotta in an
exclusive interview with Sentinel Times. (JOHNBELLO)
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LUCENA CITY – She has been Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson since she was 17 years old becoming a member of the Sangguniang Barangay of Cotta. Then a few years later, she moved on to be elected as regular barangay council member and afterwards, number one in the council which allowed her to succeed her uncle, then barangay chairman Hermilando Alcala Jr. when he was elected Sangguniang Panglalawigan member representing the province’2nd district.
At 32, and still enjoying her single-blessedness, Punongbarangay Annalou Alcala is now the top lady at the helm of Bgy. Cotta, one of the well-known of the 33 barangays of this capital city of Quezon province. She belongs to the Alcala political clan whose most prominent member is 2nd District Cong. Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala, himself head of the same barangay for more than 2 decades before becoming a board member then vice governor for 1 term and now on his second term as member of the House of Representatives.
Ms. Alcala minces no word when she said that Bgy. Cotta has a bad repute owing to the persistence of illegal drugs in her barangay.
“Masama ang pagkakilala sa aming barangay pero tuloy naman ang program namin laban sa illegal drugs at nakikipag-coordinate kami lagi sa pulis,” she said adding that their Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council is active in monitoring their drug surrenderees numbering about 340 and in pursuing ways to facilitate their return to normal lives.
She said that they have many transient residents in their barangay and those engaged in illegal drugs are caught while in transit so they are beefing up their barangay watchmen.
Alcala said that half the number of their drug surrenderees are very cooperative, have graduated from DILG-sponsored Masa Masid drug rehabilitation program and some of them have undertaken Yakap-Bayan, trained on disaster relief and rescue operation and undertaken Bible study and other spiritual renewal program.
Elected as regular Punongbarangay in 2016 local elections, Alcala said they are looking forward to their annual Lechon Festival, their barangay being known for decades in the roast pork business. Held next month in the last week of October she hopes to make the festival more livelier and fun-filled whole week activities to draw more visitors and investors.
Alcala disclosed that presently Bgy. Cotta has more than 22,000 population of which over 8,000 troop to the polls during elections to choose their city and barangay officials.
She plans to enlist women in cooperative while others are enrolled in vocational courses in Technical Educational Skills Development Authority to be trained for food processing, candle-making, hair science and other income-generating activities.
With present Internal Revenue Allotment amounting to P14,372,747 for Bgy. Cotta, and the opening up of the access road from Bgy. Dalahican to her barangay, Alcala is determined to pursue more development programs and projects for her barangay to cope up with the challenges of change and modernity.
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