Lawmakers have mixed reactions on the legality of President Duterte’s proposal postponing anew the barangay elections, and just appoint village officials.
Liberal Party Rep. Teodoro B. Baguilat Jr. of Ifugao, member of the so-called legitimate minority bloc, said it is the constitutional right of the Filipino people to elect their own leaders.
“What is the basis for saying that 40 percent of the officials are connected to drugs? It does not make sense. And even assuming that some are, can’t we trust the Filipino people to vote for those who they believe will be the right candidates for them? We are a free, people and we must be free to elect our own leaders,” he said.
Duterte earlier said he was inclined to no longer push through with the elections of barangay officials this year, and just appoint barangay officials.
Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez said there is enough time to pass a law to postpone the barangay elections, and allow the President to fill in the vacancies before the first regular session of the 17th Congress ends in June.
Currently on break, Congress will resume its sessions on May 2 until June 2 this year.
Baguilat said he will block any move in the lower chamber to pass a bill that will allow Duterte to declare all barangay-elected positions vacant, and then proceed to appoint his handpicked officials.
Beholden
“If this administration is so convinced that these barangay officials are into drugs, then file the appropriate cases. That is certainly more efficient than vetting over 200,000 people who will fill the barangay posts. Doing so will not address the problem, if there really is one as serious as the administration makes it out to be,” Baguilat added.
According to Baguilat, if Duterte was so convinced of the prevalence of the drug trade, he should file the appropriate cases against these officials.
“Barangay officials are supposedly nonpolitical and supposedly nonpartisan. With this move, the president wants even the barangay officials to be beholden to him and that will put us even closer to a dictatorship,” Baguilat said, adding that the barangay is the smallest political unit and the leaders are those closest to the people, especially those far from the center.
“By controlling these local leaders, the President will further strengthen his hold on the political system, preventing that healthy check and balance so essential to a democratic system that seeks to prevent abuse of power,” he said.
No can do
For his part, Liberal Party Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay said Duterte cannot just appoint barangay officials.
Lagman said Section 8 of Article X of the Constitution provides that: “The term of office of elective local officials, except barangay officials, which shall be determined by law, shall be three years and no such official shall serve for more than three consecutive terms.”
“Verily, the Constitution itself classifies barangay officials as elective local officials although their term of office is determined by law and not fixed by the Constitution,” he said.
Lagman said Congress can only provide for the term and periodic elections of barangay officials but it cannot authorize the President to appoint barangay officials who are categorized by the Constitution as “elective local officials” who shall be elected by their qualified constituents.
Even the various barangay election laws, including Republic Act (RA) 10923 which postponed the October 2016 barangay elections to the fourth Monday of October 2017, the lawmaker said provides for hold over of incumbents.
Lagman said Section 3 of RA 10923 states that, “Until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified, all incumbent barangay officials shall remain in office, unless sooner removed or suspended for cause.”
Legal
Meanwhile, Nacionalista Party Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte said Duterte can appoint barangay officers in charge.
“The President is empowered by the Constitution in his plan to remove all barangay officials and appoint their successors pending new elections in May 2020,” Barbers said.
He said Article 10, Section 3 provides that Congress shall enact a local government code that shall “provide for the qualifications, election, appointment and removal, term, salaries, powers and functions and duties of local officials, and all other matters relating to the organization and operation of the local units.”
Barbers, invoking the Constitution, said “the term of office of elective local officials, except barangay officials, which shall be determined by law, shall be three years and no such official shall serve for more than three consecutive terms.”
“It is clear therefore that the President, through a law passed by Congress, may remove all barangay officials and appoint their successors. Any law passed to this effect automatically amends the Local Government Code,” he said.
Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, has already filed House Bill 5359 in support of the President’s call to eliminate drugs and corruption among our barangay leaders.
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila
52 comments
as alvarez said my time pa naman para syan kung magfile lang sila
duterte can postponed it as he wish coz there are time pa naman para legal na mapostponed kahit walng EO
dapat supportahan yan ng nakakarami kasi for the sake of the filipino citizen
duterte is thinking that brgy elec. is just a waste of time
wala naman ata prob kung ipatigil yan kasi imsure digong knows how is best
as of nowkaya pa na mag file pala ni digong for this MMMmmm mukhang pede naman
ang mahalaga yung desisyon pa rin ni president
dito lang kami to support the gvt
mabbuti na ang gayan so protektahan nalang mnatin sila
maganda kung sa maganda kaso ayaw paabat ng babae at itong mahaderang floiendo tress[asses ka
Dapat naman sigurong itigil na muna ang barangay election. Marami pang dapat na unahin. Tyaka mas makakatipid ang ating bansa kung iaappoint nalang ni duterte ang mga bagong barangay officials.
Okay lang naman na ipagpaliban muna yang election na yan. Tutal magbabago naman ng sistema ang gobyerno natin. Dapat ngang mag appoint nalang si duterte,
kung ito ang solusyon para makatipid at makapaglagay ng matitinong tao sa barangay, why not? Suportado namin ang lahat ng desisyon ng gobyerno.
Mas pipiliin ko ang iappoint nalang ni presidente kasi naman yung mga dumadaya lang naman sa barangay election gamit ang vote buying. kaya kahit di naman deserving eh nakakaupo sa pwesto.
Mas maganda ngang si Pangulong Duterte na lang ang magtalaga at wag na ang barangay election para maiwasan ang mga tiwaling tao na makaupo sa gobyerno.
Mas maganda ngang si Pangulong Duterte na lang ang magtalaga at wag na ang barangay election para maiwasan ang mga tiwaling tao na makaupo sa gobyerno.
Tama nga naman si Alvarez, marami pang oras para makagawa ng batas para mag appoint nalang at itigil na ang barangay election.
Alam ni duterte kung ano ang makakabuti sa ating bansa. Suportahan nalang natin ang magiging desisyon ni duterte.
Okay lang na magappoint si duterte. mas makakatipid pa ang ating pamahalaan kaya ayos lang. Wala pang mapeperwisyong mga tao kung magappoint nalang si digong.
Palitan mo nalang President. Wag ng eleksyon. gastos lang yan. Kapag nag eleksyon pa yung mga corrupt makakapasok pa pero kung ikaw ang magtatalaga siguradong walang corrupt dyan.
I agree sayo mr.alvarez marapt lamng na si president nalang ang mamili sa eleksyon para tuwid laht
Kay Digong pa rin ang huling desisyon, kapag ginusto nyang isuspende muna ang eleksyon ay wala kayong magagawa. sumunod nalang tayo sakanya alam naman nya kung ano ba ang magpapaganda sa ating bansa.
hayaan nalang natin si tatay digong sa kung ano mn ang magign desisyon nya at the end dahil ang gusto lang naman yan ehh mawala na ang mga korap!
kung ang gusto ni digong ehh ganyan support na lamng natin dahil tiyak na para naman sa ikakaayos ng bawat lugar natin dito sa pinas!
kung yun ang nais ni president abay bakit hindi kung sa tingin niya yun lang ang mas nkakabuti go na ako jan!
tama naman si tty digong kasi ang nangyayari lang naman hindi ngkakaroon ng panty na botohan lagi nalang dinday kaya mas mabuti ng si tty digong ang mamiliu para tuwid laht ng mga leaders hindi mga bulok ang sistema na ginagwa nila!
kasi ang nais lang naman ni president mawala na ang mga korap ang pandarya sa eleksyon kaya nais niya itong baguhin!
i agree sa pangulo tama po yan para mawala na rin ang mga dayaan!
ayos ka po tlaga pangulo tiyak na magiging okay na ang klalabasan niyan pag ikaw ang pumili
tama ka po jan duterte ikaw nalang po ang mamili para hindi na rin makasaby pa ang mga korap na gusto umngkin ng mga pwesto!
okay po yan president para sa ikaayos ng pinas why not kahit ano po yan susuporthan po namin yan!
mas sang ayon ako dyan dahil alam ni ni digon kung sino ang pipiliin nya para maiwasan na ang mga corrupt na umupo sa pwesto.
president duterte doing his best para mapa buti ang ating bansa pagka tiwalaan na lang natin sila ni speaker sa nais nilang mangyari,
kung yan man ang gusto ni digong pagka tiwalaan natin sya alam nya ang tama para sa atin.
puro lang naman kasi dayaan ang ng yayari dyan kaya much better kung si duterte na lang ang mag appoint.
tiwala nman kami na para sa kapakanan ng bansa ang gusto nyang mangyari saatin
si digong parin ang mag dedisisyon nyan,tama naman si speaker maraming pang oras para dyan.
matagal na nag hihirap tayo twing may barangay election dahil panibago nman na gastos yan. tama yan kahit iappoint na lang
kung magiging maayos kung si tatay digong na lang ang pumili bkit hindi na lang natin ito suportahan.
malaki ang maititipid nito kung si Duterte talaga ang mag aapoint kaya agree ako dyan.
ano nman ang masama kung mag appoint na lang si digong para magamit na rin ang pondo sa ibang mahalagang bagay
buti kung ganyan,tyak na maaalis ang mga korap na mga brgy. official.
walang mali kung si digong ang mamimili ng mga opisyal,sang ayon nga ako dito para tipid.
yung mga corrupt dyan tututol na yan sa gustong mang yari ni duterte.
gusto yan ni digong kaya tama si cong alvarez suportahan na lang natin yan para din sa ikaka buti ng ating bansa
mas nararapat na lang yan na mag appoint na lang para wala ng maraming pang dpat asikasuhin
hindi nman yan masama kung pagiging appoint na lang ng pangulo ang mga barangay opisyal tutal ang iba ay mga wla din nman alam
sigurado mas mapapa dali pa kung ganyan na lang ang proseso natin sa pag pili ng mga opisyal sa barangay.
gusto namin yan para nman yong mga wlang alam kundi tumanggap lang ng kanilang sahod mapalitan na rin
hindi na makaka upo yong mga hindi nman gumagawa ng trabaho nila.
sangayon kami dyan para naman maka tipid na rin tayo.
walang masama kung yan ang kagustuhan ni digong tutal para din naman yan saatin