TACLOBAN City — The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) party and local leaders of Region 8 on Friday launched the “Sara para sa Barangay” initiative in the Visayas to make the BBM-Sara UniTeam’s advocacy for the development of barangays around the country be strongly felt by the Filipino people, especially the masses.

Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) president House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin G. Romualdez, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, Zamboanga City Rep. Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe, Tingog nominee Jude Acidre and other community leaders assured that Lakas-CMD vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and her running mate Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) presidential hopeful Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. would establish a powerful connection with communities from different barangays in Eastern Visayas and the entire country to help address their concerns with dispatch.

Under the BBM-Sara UniTeam, Majority Leader Romualdez declared that not a single barangay should be left out in the country’s development and that services should be made readily available to every villager.

“Mayor Duterte’s master plan makes no distinction of any barangay. She believes that progress and development must be encompassing and make every village an integral part of the country in pursuing development,” Romualdez, a representative of the 2nd District of Leyte, told around 700 community leaders from Region 8 during the launching of “Sara para sa Barangay” movement held at the Pacific Point Resort here.

Mayor Romualdez assured the community leaders that Marcos and Duterte will champion people’s interest in the grassroots level, being a former governor and an incumbent mayor, respectively.

For his part, Dalipe, Lakas-CMD vice president, said Duterte in parnership with Marcos will push for an improved delivery of basic services, including better healthcare system and high quality of education.

Dalipe said Duterte is tough on her stance that there should be equity in the socio, economic, cultural and political development of barangays in the country while pushing for more efficient services in the grassroots level.

“The Sara para sa Barangay movement will help bring Duterte’s governance thrusts to the grassroots level. The barangay-level initiative is aligned with President Duterte’s malasakit program,” Dalipe said.

Majority Leader Romualdez also said the Sara para sa Barangay initiative sought to empower the country’s 42,046 barangays through its various programs on education, health, job creation and livelihood.

“On her health program amid the pandemic, Mayor Duterte seeks to make sure that health stations are present and their services are available in every barangay,” Romualdez said.

UniTeam senatorial aspirants Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Herbert Bautista physically attended the event and vowed to work on the basic needs of communities in the country as being advocated by Duterte and Marcos should they win in the May presidential polls.

Marcos and Harry Roque, another UniTeam senatorial aspirant, greeted the community leaders through their recorded video message.

Last January 31, Vice-Governor Maricar Zamora, Rep. Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora, Davao de Oro Gov. Jayvee Tyron L. Uy, mayors, board members, councilors and other community leaders launched the Sara para sa Barangay in Mindanao and introduced the concept wherein the vice presidential candidate will champion the interest of the people in the barangay level, especially on education, health, jobs and livelihood.

The Davao de Oro officials said the program will bring closer to the grassroots level Duterte’s programs of government that will also further solidify the hold of Marcos in the presidential race.