Senator calls support for longer barangay officials term

Sen. Marcos calls on barangay officials to support her cause, advocacies

A voter searching for her precinct number on the locator map placed right in the Cebu City Central Elementary School grounds during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on October 30, 2023. | CDN Digital Photo by Morexette Marie Erram

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Senator Imee Marcos has once again rallied barangay officials for their support to extend their terms which is included in the senate bill she filed earlier this year.

Marcos made this call during her visit to Cebu this week to attend the national events of the Department of Education (Deped) which include the Palarong Pambansa 2024, National Schools Press Conference, National Festival of Talents, and the Learners Convergence 2024.

As the chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Electoral Reforms, Marcos said that she is worried about the current barangay officials term of three years, especially those who were elected for their first term that they will not be able “to do more” in less than two years.

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“Yung mga first-termer kawawa naman walang track record baka ma-disappoint ang ating mga botante,” Marcos said.

“Ikalawa, napakalaking sayang ng pera. Kung ibigay nalang ‘yung bilyon-bilyon na yan why don’t we just provide that for projects here in Cebu, particularly the smaller towns,” she added.

Marcos said that it would also be hard for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) which will be managing three elections next year – the midterm elections, the BARMM elections, and the manual Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

With this, Marcos said she wants to consult all the barangay officials about the matter and ask for their support to “amend the Local Government Code” and “establish a six-year term for barangay officials.”

“The truth is, since 1998, extend tayo nang extend ng barangay term, for me, the average pag binilang mo [from] 1998 to the present saka i-extend. Ako nag extend ako from 2019, ako yung pasimuno to extend from 2019 to 2022 naging 2023, pag inaverage mo, it really reaches five years [from] what they serve,” Marcos said.

Aside from her ‘six-year-term’ suggestion, Marcos also suggested having the barangay election a year after the presidential election “which appears to be quite logical” because the barangay officials “will have a fresh mandate from the elected president.

In Senate Bill No. 2629, Senator Imee Marcos said the myriad duties of barangay officials often hinder them from “formulating, developing, and implementing” their own policies and projects.

Subsequently, Marcos paid a visit to Danao City on July 9 to attend a gathering of local leaders and also took the opportunity to ask for their support to extend the barangay officials term and other advocacies.

When asked what are the other LGUs she plans to visit for her agenda, Marcos did not provide any details but assured she can visit them when she has the opportunity.

In 2023 alone, Marcos said the Commission on Elections required a budget of around P18 billion.

With this trend, Marcos warned that election costs will continue to rise, not only because of the general increase in the prices of election materials and manpower but also because of the possibility that even barangay elections “will also be automated in the future.”

Marcos already made this call after she voted in the BSKE last year at Cabeza Elementary School in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. | with reports from Charie Abarca and John Michael Mugas, Inquirer.net