Sucat Brgy Captain to improve livelihood to combat crimes

Sucat Barangay Captain Rafael Sevilla shared his visions on improving the livelihood to stop the crimes within their barangay.

In an interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE on its digital show Spotlight, Sevilla said that together with his barangay officials, they examined the reasons behind the crimes committed in their community and found a solution by improving the barangay's livelihood.

"At present, Sucat is one of the largest barangays in Muntinlupa. We have 15,000 households. Currently, livelihood is one of our focal points. We focus on this concerning the issue of crime. We don't want to always have to patrol the streets at night. We examine the reasons behind the crimes because I believe not everyone who steals wants to steal, not everyone who wants to hold up a place intends to do so. Perhaps, it's because of the lack of opportunity that crimes occur. That's why in our efforts to combat crime, we look at their livelihoods. This is what we are trying in this new term granted to me," Sevilla said.

Sevilla added that after assuming his second term as the barangay captain, he focused on creating additional opportunities for his fellow residents in barangay Sucat.

"Just recently, after assuming my second term, I focused on how to create additional opportunities for our fellow barangay residents that they could use for additional income or ideas. Like this MSME, one of the possible programs could be to institutionalize and establish a program that could involve my fellow barangay residents and could help, just like the recent program with the DAILY TRIBUNE, which was a significant thing for the barangay. The mere fact that they visited us, that visit alone could be a symbol for us, and many want to help," he said.

When asked if their barangay is ready to adapt to digital payment, Sevilla said they need to hit a certain concept in their "Tiange" program before transitioning to digital payment.

"We were in the concept of adapting it. I had a meeting with initial individuals who are willing to be part of the livelihood program. We're also exploring the idea of coming up with a possible digital payment to give it a high-end appeal because currently, the concept of 'tiangge' we've only reached so far is the C, D, and E levels. Maybe it's purchasable, but if we reach the A and B levels, it's better. So, if we reach that point, we can already adapt digital payment,"

"Here, we will ask for help from an expert because although we hear about it, we could also become victims of it. We will ask for help from an expert to explain what the concept really is and whether it will be safe for business, especially for those who are just starting out," Sevilla said on possible scammer attacks when they transition to digital payment.

Following their slogan "Sucat-Sikat", Sevilla made its barangay's term as his motivation to strive for excellence in leading his barangay which led them to receive numerous awards.

"Sucat' was already well-known, and I inherited it from my sibling who was a former barangay chairman. When I assumed the role of barangay captain, I took it as a challenge to understand why we should be famous. Out of that, I challenged my organization, my leadership, and the council to strive for excellence. To be famous, one needs to be excellent. As a result, this bore fruit, and we received numerous awards. Not just in our city but also nationally. However, we need to move forward, and that's why we're aiming beyond excellence," Sevilla said.