A CONGRESSMAN is pushing for the holding of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October, but proposed that the polls be simultaneously held with a referendum on Charter change.

Lakas Rep. Joel Mayo Almario of Davao Oriental said the holding of a Charter change referendum would maximize the use of government funds for the polls and will determine whether or not the people want to change the Constitution and, if so, its mode of change.

“This would maximize the government funds’ value for the barangay and SK elections. The result of the referendum will finally either kill all talks of a Cha-cha and seal it in its grave or formalize and launch a unified national effort to amend the Constitution in the manner the people want done. In case of the latter scenario, the output of the constituent assembly or the constitutional convention, as the case may be, will be up for the people’s vote in a referendum by December 10, 2007.  By the new year of 2008, the country will have a new constitution,” said Almario in a statement.

Opposing proposals to suspend the elections, Almario said the polls have been previously rescheduled by Republic Act 9164, which extended the incumbency of the present barangay and SK officials from October 2005 to October 2007.

“The holding of barangay and SK elections this year will give the officials fresh mandate and will weed out the undeserving ones,” Almario.   

He said that the country has been divided enough in the May midterm elections, and “it is best for the country to finish all election activities, including matters on Charter change this year and start fresh by the new year, with all the public officials and the private sectors focused on developmental efforts.”

Almario said taking “an election rest” after this year’s midterm elections only to be divided again by the proposed barangay elections in October 2008, not to mention the ever-present talks and uncertainties of Cha-cha, and considering that by the second semester of 2009, potential candidates will be preparing for the 2010 presidential elections, will only render this year’s newly elected public officials and the Arroyo administration inutile all the way towards 2010.

“This will deprive the people of genuine public service which will redound to loss of confidence on our government,” said Almario.

He added that the funding issues on holding the elections should not be a question since the government is enjoying healthy financial figures.                 

“This is due to increased tax collections brought about by the tax reform measures passed by the 13th Congress, improved peso value against the dollar, low interest rates, and better flowing and consistent remittances of migrant workers, among others.”

ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Armed Forces on Sunday launched a new offensive against the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits and the Jema’ah Islamiyah (JI) terrorists in Sulu.

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has junked the petition for habeas corpus filed against retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and several other high-ranking officials of the Armed Forces in connection with the disappearance of a member of the National Democratic Front (NDF) peace panel on June 24, 2006 in Bulacan.

THE battle for House speakership heated up as a staunch supporter of Representative-elect Pablo Garcia of Cebu hit back at the camp of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. for its alleged disinformation campaign, the latest of which was the claim that the race for speakership is over because President Arroyo has reportedly picked up de Venecia over Garcia.

A CONGRESSMAN is pushing for the holding of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October, but proposed that the polls be simultaneously held with a referendum on Charter change.

THE Armed Forces is going to conduct a massive information campaign to educate its men about the role that they will play once the Human Security Act or antiterror law is implemented.