ILOILO — In an extraordinary protest against what they described as the municipal government’s failure to resolve a year-old environmental complaint, the entire elected leadership of Barangay Linobayan in Tigbauan, Iloilo has submitted irrevocable resignations over persistent concerns about foul odor and flies allegedly coming from a poultry farm in a neighboring village.
Barangay Captain Rene Taño and all seven barangay councilors, together with Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman Ejelyn Claire Casio, formally submitted their resignation letters to the office of Mayor Virgilio Teruel at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
The resignations are set to take effect on Sept. 10, 2026.
“Indi overnight (decision) ini. Dugay nga plano nga mag-resign,” Taño told Panay News.
The resigning barangay councilors are Efren Tayag, Johnny Vale, Rico Taño, Leticia Tresplacios, Letecia Tasic, Mary Rose Agapay-Sagala and Joesa Mae Mendez.
YEAR-OLD COMPLAINT
Taño said the mass resignation was triggered by frustration over what barangay officials considered the lack of a concrete solution from the Tigbauan municipal government to complaints from Linobayan residents against a poultry farm in neighboring Barangay Sipitan.
Barangay officials submitted a written complaint to Teruel in June 2025 after residents complained about foul odor and flies allegedly coming from the poultry operation.
Nineteen households located about 300 meters from the poultry farm signed the complaint. The barangay officials and affected residents gave the municipal government 10 months to address their concerns.
According to Taño, the municipal government conducted an investigation on June 9, 2025, but its assessment found that the odor and presence of flies were only “minimal.”
Taño questioned how the municipal team determined that the problem was minimal, pointing out that the poultry farm allegedly raises nearly 100,000 chickens.
“May ara kami time frame nga dapat within 10 months ma-aksyonan tani sang LGU-Tigbauan ang problema sang amon mga pumoluyo pero more than one year daw wala sang concrete solution about sa baho kag langaw,” Taño said.
He said barangay officials had exercised patience because they were political allies of the mayor, but their frustration eventually reached its limit.
“Nagapa-ayon lang ako. Isipon mo, more than one year nga grabe ang akon pa-ayon sa LGU kay ti siempre kaalyado. Pero may hangganan man ang pa-ayon ko. Tawo lang man ako. Puno kag medyo dismayado na,” Taño said.
Taño maintained that even if the mayor does not act on their resignation letters, these would be deemed accepted after 15 days under Section 82 of the Local Government Code of 1991.
The provision states that a resignation is deemed accepted if the proper authority fails to act on it within 15 days from receipt.
LGU: ODOR, FLIES ‘MINIMAL’
Teruel had confirmed in an August 2025 interview with radio station DYRI RMN Iloilo that his office received the written complaint from Linobayan officials and residents.
The mayor subsequently ordered an Environmental Monitoring Team composed of representatives from the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, Municipal Agriculture Office, Rural Health Unit and sanitary inspectors to conduct an ocular inspection.
Teruel said the inspection team’s findings described the odor and presence of flies as “minimal.”
“Daw nabutang ina dira nga daw minimal ang odor tapos nakabutang man dira daw kumpleto man ang papales, may ECC (Environmental Compliance Certificate), businesses and mayor permits and sa ila pagtan-aw daw indi man gid damo ang langaw,” Teruel said.
Residents, however, argued that the inspection team stayed in the area for only about an hour and therefore could not fully experience conditions endured by households living there around the clock.
Teruel also recalled receiving a text message from barangay officials around midnight on one occasion informing him that they were experiencing an extremely foul odor allegedly coming from the poultry farm.
The complainants had also stressed that they had no business interest or intention to harass the poultry farm owner and merely wanted the alleged nuisance addressed.
“Sila naga-emphasize nga ‘Mayor wala kami ginansyahon kon magreklamo kami, waay man kami interest sa ila, indi man kami negosyante basi hambalan nila nga basi gina-harass, nga basi kompetensya sa negosyo,” Teruel said.
Barangay Linobayan has approximately 600 households.
COMPLAINANTS SUED
The dispute escalated when the poultry farm owner filed a civil case before the Regional Trial Court in Guimbal, Iloilo in August 2025 against Taño, barangay councilors Efren Tayag and Rico Taño, and 17 other residents or households.
Taño said the pending case limited what he could publicly discuss to avoid violating the sub judice rule.
Teruel, citing his reading of the complaint, said the case sought to stop the residents from raising complaints about the alleged odor and flies.
“Ang tinutuyo sang complaint nga nabasa ko nga ginapa-untat sila sang pagreklamo nahungod sa ginaalegar nga baho kag langaw sa poultry. Instead nga aksyonan tani, ang natabo sila pa ang ginkasohan,” Teruel said.
The barangay officials told the mayor they would seek assistance from the Public Attorney’s Office in defending themselves.
‘EYE OPENER’
Taño apologized to Linobayan residents for the officials’ decision to leave their posts but stressed that resignation did not mean abandoning their cause.
“Maski mag-resign kami, i-continue gihapon ang kawsa nga ang ila problema, dapat malab-ot gid sa proper authority,” Taño said.
He expressed hope that the unprecedented resignation would force the municipal government to give greater attention to the residents’ concerns.
“Kabay pa daad nga ang amon resignation would be an eye opener sa LGU-Tigbauan nga dapat tamdon man nila ang probelma sang pumoluyo sa Barangay Linobayan,” Taño said./PN
