Adoption of law for conduct of SK and barangay elections, urged

April 22, 2017 Opinion Sideglance

In a democratic state elective officials in the government are voted into office by the people and not through appointment by the President in order that their loyalty will be to the people and not to the appointing authority.

This is the essence of a proposed Resolution introduced and filed by City Councilor Arthur Allad-iw urging the Senate and the House of Representatives to adopt a law for the conduct of the Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) and Barangay Elections this 2017.
In his proposal Councilor Allad-iw observed that despite the extension of the term of office of barangay officials due to the postponement of the Barangay Elections and resetting it to October 23, 2017 in order to give more time for the full implementation of the SK Reform Act and for the COMELEC to ensure a higher voter turn-out, a proposed measure (House Bill 5359 authored by Congressman Robert Barbers) has again been introduced in the Lower House which seeks for another postponement of the October 2017 Barangay Elections until May 25, 2020, and thus giving power to the President to appoint officers-In-Charge in the barangay level. Allad-iw then pointed out in his proposed resolution that the further postponement of the barangay elections and the appointment by the President of Officers-In-Charge – and whom he may not know personally – is not the solution to remove barangay officials involved in illegal drugs, instead it should be the filing of cases against them and pushing through with the scheduled elections so that the people, who know their leaders, will themselves get rid of the so called “bad eggs” in their respective barangay governments.

Councilor Allad-iw further explained in his proposal that in their various visits and consultations with the concerned stakeholders such as past and incumbent barangay officials, community elders as well as their constituencies, it is their expressed view that the October 2017 Barangay Elections should push through in order to give a fresh mandate and to allow the residents the opportunity to remove their leaders who are deemed to have participated in corruption, proliferation of illegal drugs and other crimes, as well as to usher in a new brand of youth leaders and see whether the SK Reform Act would bear fruit.

The proposed Resolution likewise cited that pursuant to Section 3 and Section 8, Article X of the 1987 Constitution, the Local Government Code of 1991 was enacted into law which provided for the election and term of local officials and that barangay officials shall be elected at large in their respective units by qualified voters therein, while the Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman and other SK officials for each barangay shall be elected by the registered voters of the Katipunan ng Kabataan with their terms of office being three years and shall not serve for more than three consecutive terms in the same position.

The said proposed Resolution is expected to be deliberate by the City Council during its next regular session on Monday.