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EDITORIAL
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Monday, March 19, 2018
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BARANGAY and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections may not be glamorous as the presidential or legislative election, but the continued deferment to elect new barangay and SK officials is tantamount to violation of the people’s right to choose their leaders. The incumbent barangay and SK officials have overstayed in their posts; their three-year term of office ended in 2016 yet.
There was supposed to be an election last October 2016 but Congress and the then new Duterte administration said there was no fund for it, citing the then just concluded national election.
It is bad to postpone an election this year simply on the issue of funding. In the first place, the government keeps on saying that the inflow of government revenues has substantially improved due to its tax reforms.
Also, barangays are the most basic administrative units in the country. They are tasked to administer the essential services of local government units to its people. But barangay officials should consider themselves not just as agents of the national and local governments, but as representatives of the people of their barangays, so that it becomes their duty to see to it that the desires of their constituents as expressed through the ballot box are implemented. Thus barangay leaders must have mandates through an election.
So, will the synchronized election of barangay and SK officials push through on May 14? The House of Representatives wants to postpone it again to a much later date but the Senate says it is too late to legislate a postponement, citing its many priority bills to act on.
The Commission on Elections has not been remiss its function in announcing to the public the coming election. The personnel of election offices have been preparing for this. Even the Philippine National Police is getting ready already.
No more postponement, please.
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