Will the barangay election slated in May this year push through?
Cabinet Secretary Leoncio B. Evasco, Jr. cast his doubts that the upcoming barangay electoral exercise may not be held.
The election of the barangays is “ambivalent,” he told barangay chieftains who attended the annual Provincial Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) Congress held here during the opening salvo at Bohol Tropics Resort, this city.
Bohol has a total of 1,109 barangays, about 905 of this attended the said Congress, said an insider.
Evasco said that there are moves that the referendum of the charter-change pushing for federalism is included barangay election this coming May for cost consideration.
He said that the gargantuan task of amending the Constitution would not be finished by that time or within three months, neither the debate thru the questionable Constitutional Assembly hatched by the Lower House. Hence, barangay chairmen may still be in a holdover capacity, he said.
Because of this likely scenario, he cast doubts that the barangay election would be postponed again for the third time around.
Incumbent Barangay chieftains are enjoying the extension of their terms when it was supposed to take place in October 2016 but Congress moved it twice to 2017 and then this year.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte recently issued an executive order forming the 23-man consultative commission that would serve as an advisory body to the charter-change for federalism.
But then even the barangay officials are in a holdover capacity, they may still be kicked out by the office of the President if found peddling illegal drugs and involved in graft and corruption, Evasco warned.
If you remain in your posts, be good and work for your respective constituents, he added.
He said being a barangay captain is not an easy job since almost all of the functions of the government are lumped in them. A barangay captain executes the law, presides over the lawmaking body and at the same time presides the barangay judiciary.
All these responsibilities are not even given to other local executives, including the President, hence exercise them well, he said.
The Bohol LnB headed by its president Dr. Romulo G. Cepedoza of barangay Magtangtang, Danao town, invited Evasco as keynote speaker of the affair.
Gov. Edgar Chatto, acting Vice-Gov. Atty. Benjie Arcamo, City Mayor Baba Yap, congressmen Rene Relampagos (st dist), Aris Aumentado (2nd dist) and Arthur Yap (3rd) were represented by Board Members Ricky Masamayor and Gloria Gementiza and Rene Espinoza, respectively were also invited. (rvo)