Appointment of barangay officials mulled

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday revealed his plan to personally appoint barangay officials, in a bid to rid the country of drug menace.

Speaking to reporters during his arrival from his Myanmar and Thailand visits, he said he already asked his constituents to look for ways on how he can appoint barangay officials, rather than holding barangay polls in Oct ober.

The President said that the incumbent barangay officials, 40 percent of whom he said are involved in illegal drugs, might take advantage of the resumption of barangay polls in October this year.

“I told them, ‘Do not commit the mistake of calling for an elections now because narco-politics has entered into the mainstream of our Philippine politics.' Either I killed them first because if not, they will be elected again,” the Chief Executive said.

“The local elections, it’s just around the corner. If they (barangay officials) are there and they can influence the electorate, it’s dangerous...So I said not now,” he added.

Duterte signed on October 18, 2016 a law postponing the bar angay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections supposedly set on October 31 the same year. It was then rescheduled on the 4th Monday of October this 2017.

The President, however, admitted that it could be a “bit messy” once he declares all barangay positions vacant, saying that the mechanisms of selecting barangay officials are yet to be crafted.

But he said he is willing to compromise if “they have no conditions with rebels and are not into drugs.”

“If you can have that list [of individuals vying for baranagay posts and possessing such traits], I would be happy,” Duterte said.

“They can nominate so we can do away with shady characters. But if you continue the elections now and those who are in the [drug] list win – 40 percent of the total barangay captains are into drugs – that’s my problem. So Filipinos, be sure to elect [the right ones] because I do not have time to kill them all,” he added.