Sen. Pangilinan worried over the plan of Pres. Duterte to suspend the barangay election.
PANGILINAN WORRIED – Senator Francis Pangilinan reacted on the plan of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to suspend the barangay election and just appoint the village chiefs.
According to a recent news report in InterAksyon, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, in a statement, urge rethinking of the move.
“Let the people choose who they wish to serve them,” the Liberal Party President said.
Based on the report, the Senator said that the officials of the barangay are composed of individuals who are the neighbors of the people and who they really know.
“These officials know the heart of their towns more than any public servant of the country simply through sheer proximity and familiarity,” said Sen. Pangilinan based on the report.
The President has recently confirmed to the press the previous statement of Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno that he wanted the positions in the barangay to be vacant so he could appoint officials.
According to the report, the 71-year-old Chief Executive recently came from his official state visit to Thailand and Myanmar and he expressed the confirmation of the Interior Secretary’s previous statement upon his arrival.
The reason behind the move is the prevention of individuals who are supported by drug money to become the chiefs of their villages.
Based on the report, Pres. Duterte expressed that he has already talked to the lawmakers about the move.
“Sabi ko sa kanila [I told them], ‘Do not commit the mistake of calling for an elections now. Because narco-politics has entered into the mainstream of Philippine politics,” Pres. Duterte said based on the report.
According to a previous news report, DILG Sec. Sueno has shared during the 15th meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Senior Officials Responsible for Information (SOMRI) that Pres. Duterte wants to end the term of all of the officials of the barangay.
The Interior Secretary said that Pres. Duterte is not the first to postpone the elections in the barangay.
Furthermore, according to him, the DILG, several non-government organizations, and other groups back the President’s plan. He said that the purpose of Pres. Duterte is to clean the country from barangay officials who are corrupt and are funded by illegal drugs.
The Interior Secretary has also expressed his support to the President in reducing the crime rate in the country and putting a total end to the presence of illegal drugs.
