2 Cebuano solons prefer polls, not appointment

CEBU, Philippines - The idea of postponing the barangay elections to 2020 and allowing President Duterte to pick a new set of barangay officials does not sit well with at least two Cebu lawmakers.

Cebu Second District Rep. Wilfredo Caminero is against the president’s proposal to declare all barangay positions vacant so that he could appoint officials in lieu of holding elections this October.

“Arang-arang nalang na (elections in 2020) kaysa kaning yati mag-appoint lang og barangay officials. Basta ang importante mag-eleksyon, dili mag-appoint lang,” he said.

President Duterte intends to appoint barangay officials instead because many of these officials are allegedly involved in illegal drugs.

But Caminero said there is no legal basis for such action, unless the Philippine charter is amended.

He said legislators will carefully scrutinize the measure once the Congress resumes its regular session on May 2. 

“The Congress is still in recess. But we will look into the justifications of postponing the elections.  I don’t know unsaon nila pag-justify aron ma-convince ang Kongreso,” he said.

Cebu Fifth District Rep. Ramon “Red” Durano VI, for his part, said while he has yet to read the bill, he is not in favor of appointing village executives.

“I won't make any comment yet ‘cause I have not read the bill. But in my personal opinion, I would rather have barangay officials elected by the people because we are in a democracy. It would be very undemocratic kung itudlo lang sa Presidente,” said Durano.

The FREEMAN contacted other Cebu legislators for their reaction to the proposed bill but Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas (First District), Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia (Third District), and Rep. Peter John Calderon (Seventh District) said they will reserve their comments pending perusal of the bill.

According to a Philippine Star report, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Monday filed a bill to postpone barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections until May 2020.

The bill seeks to move the elections to May 25, 2020. Subsequent barangay and SK elections will be held every three years.

Barbers filed House Bill 5359 "to support the President's call" after President Rodrigo Duterte said he is inclined to appoint barangay officials to keep "narco-politics" out of local elections. In October 2016, Duterte said that that list contained 8,000 names.

But Durano said the President should reveal the names of barangay officials who are into drugs so the people will know whether or not to vote for these candidates.

Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, who was in Cebu yesterday, agreed.

"Okay naman i-postpone, but there must be a good reason. I want to see the factual basis sa sinabi ng President that na 40 percent of the barangays (in the country) are drug-infested. We need to look at that data for us to know what is the best way to attack the problem," said Angara. — Kristine B. Quintas and Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon (FREEMAN)