‘Village chief violated residency rule’
EMBATTLED Barangay Chairman Robert Cristobal of Barangay Daniel Fajardo, Las Piñas City could face another case, violating the election residency rule.
This was disclosed on Friday by Barangay Kagawad ( councilman) Demetrio C. Fajardo, who claimed that Cristobal was not only an absentee chairman, he has also not been a resident of Daniel Fajardo village for the past eight years or since he was elected village chief in 2010.
Cristobal, he claimed, is a resident of nearby Barangay Lupang Lupa where he and his family have been living for the past eight years.
“He ( Cristobal) was elected as chairman of our barangay ( village) in 2010, but we rarely saw him since then,” Fajardo said.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that under the law, a candidate for a local elective position, including in the barangay, should be a resident of the place where one is running for office.
“It is a ground for disqualification. If you are not a resident of the place where you are running as barangay candidate, then you are not Robert Cristobal
qualified to run,” Jimenez told TheManilaTimes.
Qualified to run for barangay chairman and members of the Sangguniang Barangay are Filipino citizens, a registered voter in the barangay where he intends to be elected, a resident therein for at least one year immediately preceding the day of the election, able to read and write in Filipino or any other local language or dialect, and at least 18 years of age on election day.
Fajardo also said there were a lot of “ghost employees” in the barangay payroll and payments were being collected for barangay clearances and identification cards ( IDs) without the issuance of official receipts.
Among the fees being collected, he claimed, were P60 for the IDs of pedicab drivers, P20 for barangay clearance and P20 for barangay ID.
Fajardo alleged that barangay vehicles were being used for unofficial purposes, such as grocery and out- of- town trips of the family of the barangay secretary.
The village councilman earlier filed a formal complaint against Cristobal before the Office of the President and the Department of the Interior and Local Government ( DILG) for Cristobal’s failure to call a session for eight consecutive months from June 2017 to January 2018, and illegal disbursement of honoraria.
Interior Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño said no honoraria should be paid to the barangay chairman and members of the barangay council without holding a session, adding that “said offense is punishable by imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from public office.”
Section 52 of the Local Government Code of 1991 or Republic Act ( RA) 7160 states: “On the first day of the session immediately following the election of its members, the Sanggunian shall, by resolution, fix the day, time, and place of its regular sessions. The minimum number of regular sessions shall be once a week for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Sangguniang Panglungsod and Sangguniang Bayan, and twice a month for the Sangguniang Barangay.”
Illegal disbursement of funds is punishable under Section 3 of RA 2019 or the Anti- Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. It carries maximum imprisonment of 10 years and perpetual disqualification from public office, among other penalties.