Alvarez wants barangay post, youth council axed

Speaker Davao Del Norte Rep. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez wants the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections moved to a later date. Given that, he wants the posts for barangay kagawad (councilor) and SK leaders abolished.

Alvarez told reporters on Sunday  he would  prefer to replace the kagawad with purok (district) leaders to be appointed by the elected barangay captain. He said he also wants to scrap the SK (Youth Council)  in the barangay altogether as their roles were no longer necessary.

“We are considering the abolition of the SK because I think it is no longer right. We might as well get rid of it because all of the sectors are represented anyway. In fact, we already have a party-list congressman for the youth in Congress. So they’re already well-represented,” Alvarez said during a visit to Tunga, Leyte.

He said that as it was, SK representatives received their pay “without doing anything.”

“We are also eyeing the abolition of the barangay kagawad, because the truth is they don’t really work. The ones who are very hardworking are the barangay captains,” Alvarez said.

Every barangay elects a  captain and seven members of the Sangguniang Barangay (barangay council) or barangay kagawad.

Young people aged 18 to 24 in every barangay also elect among themselves an SK chair and seven SK kagawad (councilors). The SK chair automatically sits in the Barangay Council.

Last elections

The last barangay elections were held on Oct. 28, 2013, while the last SK elections were held on Oct. 25, 2010.

Allies of President Duterte in Congress have filed bills to postpone the Oct. 31, 2016, barangay and SK elections.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III urged his colleagues to approve the postponement of the elections for at least a year.

The senator said the President would not be able to appoint officials to sensitive posts if the polls were held as scheduled because of the election ban on appointments.

Pimentel said that since Mr. Duterte had ordered appointees of his predecessor to vacate their posts, he would have to replace them immediately.

“The President cannot appoint officials during the election period. Movement of personnel is also prohibited,” the senator said in a statement.

Drug money-funded

Mr. Duterte himself said he supported the postponement of the barangay and SK elections because he feared drug money would be used in the campaign.

“If those candidates funded by drug money will win, we will need more money to eliminate them all and I will be forced to declare martial law,  which I wouldn’t do,” Mr. Duterte said during the 10th anniversary celebration of the Eastern Mindanao Command at Camp Panacan in Davao City.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would continue with preparations for the barangay and SK polls despite proposals to postpone it.

“Considering the overwhelming support from the executive branch, Congress and the Senate, the postponement is likely but we will abide by the law. It is only Congress who can postpone elections,” Comelec spokeperson James Jimenez said. With a report from Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao