Duterte mulls postponement of barangay elections anew

DUTERTE

President Rodrigo Duterte wants the barangay elections postponed again.

In a speech before the first general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) at the Manila Hotel on Tuesday, the President said he did not want the barangay elections held this year due to the purported influence of drug money in the elections.

“Since six or seven years ago, we were already a narco-politics state,” the President told around 1,300 municipal mayors in his speech aired by government network PTV-4.

“When can we expect to have clean elections, free of the corrupting influence of the money from drugs? This year? I told Senate President (Aquilino Pimentel III) and (House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez) to tell legislators that if we hold the barangay elections now … patay (we’re dead),” the President said.

“In the next elections, they will be already in position,” Mr. Duterte said, alluding to barangay officials backed by drug money.

Different interpretation

Cordova town Mayor Teche Sitoy-Cho believes Duterte was not referring to the upcoming barangay election scheduled at the last quarter of the year but only brought out the topic when he talked about the administration’s anti-drug campaign.

“He explained why there was no barangay election last October, which was because of narco politics. He mentioned it in connection with drugs. He said that was the reason why the barangay election was postponed. He had everything sorted out first, the people involved in drugs, how many are politicians and how many are from the police. He was not referring to the upcoming election but the one that was supposed to be held last year,” Sitoy-Cho said in Cebuano.

Another mayor from northern Cebu who declined to be identified likewise said that Duterte was merely citing the current situation of the country in connection with the holding of barangay elections.

According to this mayor, Duterte’s speech focused on his fears that drug lords will finance certain candidates.

“Dili siya sold out anang mga election kay naa siya’y fear nga ang iyang mga kontra, pwede mu-finance tingali, ang mga di ganahan niya mao’y maninguha. Wala man siya naghisgot og postponement.” he added.

ZAFRA

Drug Money

The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections were already postponed from Oct. 31, 2016 to Oct. 23 this year.

In his speech which lasted for an hour and 15 minutes, the President again focused on the illegal drugs problem.

About a third into his speech, he showed a thick file which was marked “Updated as of January 30…,” apparently on the drug situation in the country.

He even teased the mayors as he started turning the pages. “Mukhang nakita ko ang pangalan niyo dito….Hindi dito, sa attendance (I may have seen your names here. Not this document … the attendance sheet),” he said in jest which drew applause and laughter that broke the silence in the room.

But the President said there were municipal mayors in the list although he did not mention any names.

Policemen

He said there were 6,000 policemen involved in illegal drugs and about 40 percent of the villages in the country were drug-influenced. For several seconds, the President did not speak as he vigorously flipped the pages of the file towards the mayors.

Only the sound of the pages being turned was heard.

“That’s how thick it is,” the President said.

“That’s why I told Congress, ‘Paano ba yan (How’s that)? You want barangay elections? Who will win?’ Those who have money. Money generated from somebody else’s pocket? Meron, pero droga (There will be money but coming from drugs),” the President said.

A mayor from Western Visayas who attended the meeting said many of the mayors welcomed the possible postponement of the barangay election because “there will be less expenses for us and we can appoint our people to the posts.”

Saddened

Meanwhile, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President Philip Zafra said he was saddened by the reason cited by President Duterte to postpone anew the barangay elections.

“But if this is the pronouncement made by the President, I would give it to him. Maybe he really has information that we don’t have,” he told CDN.

He said instead of sulking, barangay officials should look at this as a challenge to debunk the President’s pronouncement that about 40 percent of the barangays in the entire country are influenced by illegal drugs.

“We are one in this campaign against illegal drugs and we are not part of this menace. This is also a challenge to all barangay captains to rise above all these things,” Zafra said./With INQ.net