FILE PHOTO: Veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — A veteran election lawyer backed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for saying that barangay officials “will deliver votes for national candidates.”
Atty. Romulo Macalintal said there is nothing wrong with Marcos’ statement as it did not violate or disregard the provision of the Omnibus Election Code, which states that the barangay election shall be non-partisan.
“There is that growing misconception that said provision mandates that barangay officials are supposed to be non-partisan. But this provision is very clear: it is the barangay election that is non-partisan,” Macalintal said in a statement Tuesday.
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Many barangay officials, he stressed, are even members of different political parties.
“Thus, the Supreme Court held in the 2010 case of Quinto vs Comelec that elected officials, ‘by the nature of their office, engage in partisan political activities all year round, even outside the campaign period. Political partisanship is the inevitable essence of a political office, elective positions included’,” Macalintal explained.
The Constitution says that government workers cannot get involved in political campaigning; however, the Supreme Court explained that it does not apply to elected officials even though they are part of the government, the veteran election lawyer added.
“Even the Commission on Elections, as early as 2002, made it clear in its Minute Resolution No. 02-0095 that local elective officials such as City or Municipal Mayors are allowed to campaign in the SK and barangay elections,” he pointed out.
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“Hence, if these elected officials can campaign for barangay candidates, there is no rhyme or reason why these elected barangay officials cannot campaign for the national candidates,” he said.
Marcos, after casting his vote for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Election in his hometown Batac, Ilocos Norte, said Monday:
“I always say that the, of all the elected officials, it’s the barangay officials who can actually tell you ‘I will deliver this many votes’. Kapag sinabi ng ibang barangay na magde-deliver ako sa’yo ng 350 votes dito sa aking barangay, asahan mo, 350 ‘yun, totoo ‘yun. Kaya’t napakahalaga ng resulta nito para sa aming mga politiko, napakahalaga ng resulta ng barangay elections.”
(I always say that, of all the elected officials, it’s the barangay officials who can tell you, “I will deliver these many votes.” When other barangays say that I will deliver you 350 votes here in my barangay, expect it, that’s 350, that’s true. So the result of this is very important for us politicians. The result of the barangay elections is very important.)
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“And that’s why ang sa aming assessment ay kung minsan nagiging napakainit ang barangay election dahil talagang crucial ‘yon (as) it is held at the very intimate, personal level. And that’s why nagkakainitan ng husto, kaya’t yun ang nais nating iwasan,” he added.
(And that’s why we assess that sometimes the barangay election becomes very heated because it is crucial as it is held at a very intimate, personal level. And that’s why it gets so hot. That’s what we want to avoid.)
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