More senators oppose Du30 poll plan

More senators have voiced their opposition to President Duterte’s plan to scrap barangay elections in October and to let him appoint village officials, even as the majority bloc in the Senate met on Sunday night to discuss the matter.

The meeting, attended by nine senators, came up with upto four options that Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III would present to Mr. Duterte, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said on Monday.

The President wants the barangay elections scrapped, claiming that 40 percent of about 340,000 barangay chairs and council members nationwide were involved in the illegal drug trade. He also wants to just appoint village officials.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Sen. Panfilo Lacson thumbed down yet another postponement of the barangay elections.

Other senators against the Palace plan are Antonio Trillanes IV, Francis Pangilinan and Leila de Lima.

“The essence of democracy is we should have regular elections and renew the mandate of elected officials. We postponed it last year. I’m not in favor of postponing it again,” Drilon told reporters.

Barangay elections were supposed to be held last year but this was reset for Oct. 23 this year after Congress passed a law postponing the polls.

“The best way to change officials involved in drugs is to have elections as scheduled and make the drug issue front and center,” Recto said.

Lacson, for his part, said he was not inclined to support yet another postpone- ment of the polls.

“I believe it’s time we allow the 42,036 barangays to elect their new village leaders or give those who deserve their vote of confidence to continue serving them,” Lacson said in a text message.

Asked whether he skipped the Sunday meeting because he was against the postponement, he said: “Almost subliminally.”

Aside from Pimentel and Sotto, Richard Gordon, Cynthia Villar, Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, JV Ejercito, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sonny Angara attended the meeting.

At the meeting, some senators did not agree with the President’s plan to postpone the polls and just appoint barangay chiefs, according to Sotto.

Abolish barangay system

Sotto said abolishing the barangay system was discussed given that drug syndicates were taking advantage of it.

Pimentel said no decisions and agreements were reached at the meeting but senators would study the constitutionality and legality of the President’s authority to appoint barangay chiefs.

Pimentel claimed that under the law, Congress could tinker with barangay elections, including the terms of officials, citing a provision that says that “the term of an elected official is three years except the barangay official whose term should be fixed by law.”

In a statement, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the President under the Administrative Code could appoint positions declared vacant.

In Tacloban City, Deputy Speaker Rodolfo Fariñas saw nothing wrong with “appointing village officials if it’s man- dated by law.”

Fariñas pointed out that since the terms of the barangay officials expired last year when the elections were supposed to be held, they may be replaced by appointment.

‘Unconstitutional’

But election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said “any law or executive order declaring vacant all existing elective barangay positions and to appoint their replacements is unconstitutional.”

“[T]he remedy is not to amend the law but to amend the Constitution providing for appointive barangay officials,” Macalintal said in a statement.

Macalintal said that if barangay positions were declared vacant by a mere order of the President, this could also be applied to governors, mayors and councilors.

A number of barangay officials in the Visayas are opposing Malacañang’s plans.

“This will deny the people to vote directly officials they like to lead them in the barangay,” said Rosario Bactol, chair of Barangay 88 in Tacloban City.

Pablito Gemarino, president of the Liga ng Barangay Iloilo provincial federation, said he preferred that the barangay elections proceed in October.

“What will happen if the villagers do not agree with the choice of the appointment and the performance of the appointee?” Gemarino said.

Reyland Hervias, president of the Liga ng Barangay in Iloilo City, said residents were the most knowledgeable about who deserve to be elected in their village.