Is change coming? Ibecause

am asking this question

not a few Kagawads showed me identical text messages informing that the stay in the service of hold-over barangay officials, whose terms of office expired last October 31, 2016, will end on the fourth Monday of October, 2017. This is significant.

Assuming that the text info conveys the official position of the political branches of government, this is the second time that the legislature deferred the holding of barangay elections. Congress first postponed the barangay elections scheduled in October of last year and as a consequence the incumbents are permitted to hold-on to their positions until their successors are duly elected and/ or appointed in accordance with law. With regards to the issue of second postponement, there are credible signs that, this time, the hold-over barangay officials face replacement by the appointment of officers-in-charge. Is change coming?

Under our representative democracy, we live by the Cardinal Rule that all elective public officials must earn the right to govern by direct mandate of the people in regularly-held elections fixed by law. However, with respect to barangay elections, our law-making body may reset the same when the so-called higher dictates of public interest demands. In which case, the incumbent barangay officials may continue to discharge their duties and responsibilities in order to ensure the continues delivery of essential community services during the transition.

Concededly, to power to appoint the successors of incumbent barangay officials is an exclusive prerogative of the President. As already pointed out, the power of congress hereof is confined to its arise discretion of deferring the holding of barangay elections. To be sure, the exercise of this legislative power ipso fact allows hold-over incumbents to stay on to their positions until duly replaced. This is not to say that barangay elections are not as important as the other similar exercises.

Anyhow, the right of suffrage is not a mindless ritual of electing candidates for public office. It is a sacred duty that behooves the

But at that moment, when he entered and welcomed us, immediately granting the photo request asked of him by Chingkay, I realized my fear was unfounded. "Thank you very much for granting my request, Mayor," I said after the photos and the greetings. "Of course," he said, "we are friends." I wanted to melt at that moment and just say, "Aaaaawwwwww."

We mingled on for an hour. He was waiting for his helicopter to bring him to the airport so he can report early for work the following day, it being the National Heroes Day. He went on in that rambling talk we had several times through all those years when I'd schedule a one-on-one interview with him and my request for a few minutes would drag on for an hour or two.

In that one hour, he was the 'meyor', unhurried and in his elements, with a good grasp of the things happening around him, and the courage of a man who is confident that he can call out the giant media outfits that have been at him since Day One because there is nothing that can be exposed about him that hasn't been exposed already. That was him in the living room of his green house, all right. No one else but Digong, and I'm glad. The country is indeed in good hands. ***** saest r em er a@gm ai l .com