Bishop warns against authoritarianism

A Catholic bishop who was a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission cautioned the public on Thursday against “gripping authoritarianism” under the Duterte administration.

Novaliches bishop emeritus Teodoro Bacani warned against President Duterte’s intention to postpone the barangay elections anew, and appoint instead of electing officials.

“We are becoming an authoritarian government. Slowly, that is gripping authoritarianism,” Bacani said in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas.

He was reacting to moves to postpone the 2017 barangay elections anew and allow Duterte to appoint officials of his own choosing in the country’s 42,095 barangays.  Mr. Duterte has said majority of barangay leaders elected were involved in illegal drugs.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers earlier this week filed House bill 5359, seeking to defer the said polls to May 2020.

Bacani warned that the situation may soon lead to a full-blown dictatorship, especially with the President’s popularity.

“You will notice the people slowly being pushed towards authoritarianism, and the people will just agree. In the end, the president will turn out to be a dictator,” he said.

Bacani also objected to the plan to simply appoint barangay officials instead of electing them, as this will go against the basics of “elementary democracy.”

“It cannot be done through appointment, it’s not provided for in the law. That is elementary democracy. In the barangay, this is where we first choose our leaders,” he said.

“This is why the law mandates that people will choose, and not the President,” he said.

Poll body prepares

The Commission on Elections has issued its calendar of activities for the electoral exercise, releasing guidelines for the polls despite legislative efforts to stop it.

In its resolution number 10177, the poll body detailed the schedule of activities, such as the designated election and campaign periods and the filing of candidacy papers.

The resolution was dated March 28 and signed by Comelec chairperson Andres Bautista and all six poll commissioners.

If Barbers is successful in his law to stop the polls, it would be the second time that barangay elections are cancelled. President Duterte signed a law last year deferring the 2016 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to this year.

The body set for Oct. 23 this year the schedule for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. It said the election period begins a month earlier, during which several acts are prohibited, including carrying of firearms.

The official campaign period will be from Oct. 13 to 21. All the candidates have until Nov. 22 to submit their  Statements of Contributions and Expenditures.

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