A job worth dying for?

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) placed at 78,017,088 the total number of registered Filipino voters all over the Philippines. Of that total number, the Comelec projects 75 to 80 percent would actually go to the polling centers and cast their votes in today’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections. That is, if we base the average voters’ turnout in barangay and SK elections held in the past, the most recent of which were held more than three years ago.

The last SK polls were held in October, 2010 after twice postponed already, in 2013 and in 2016. The barangay elections were also twice postponed. The last barangay elections were held in 2013. It was postponed in 2016 after President Rodrigo Duterte expressed concern about the rampant involvement of barangay officials into illegal drugs trade. Upon the prodding of President Duterte, the 17th Congress postponed anew the holding of barangay elections last year and reset them this year.

According to the Comelec, they have set up 376,420 polling centers all around the country to serve voters in the 42,041 barangays in the entire country for today’s elections, except in the Maute-ravaged Marawi City.

A total of 335,584 positions are at stake for those running to become barangay or SK chairperson. A much bigger number of 335,584 kagawad posts are up for grabs. This is because there are six kagawad posts per barangay and SK councils. So if you add these numbers, there are a total of 671,168 positions vied for in today’s elections.

But as we hold anew the barangay and SK elections, President Duterte has yet to fill the remaining two vacancies at the seven-man Comelec. The Chief Executive appointed former Court of Appeals associate justice Socorro Inting last April 19. Like many other presidential appointees of Mr. Duterte, Inting comes from Davao City. But she started to report for work at the Comelec only last May 3.

The President earlier named Comelec commissioner Sheriff Abas as Comelec chairman after erstwhile Comelec chairman Andres Bautista resigned in December last year. Since Abas has yet to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments (CA), the next senior commissioner Al Parreño is the “acting” Comelec chairman and helping him are commissioners Luie Tito Guia, and Rowena Guanzon.

Such projected relatively high turnout of voters, however, was not matched by the low turnout of candidates wanting to run for barangay and SK posts.

It was very much reflected especially for those running for SK chairperson and SK kagawad posts. Under Republic Act (RA) 10742, or the SK Reform Act, Filipinos aged 18 to 24 are qualified to run for SK chairperson or council members.

But ages 15 years old up to 30 years old are the qualified to vote. Of the total number of 78 million registered voters, 20,632,642 of which come from this age category.

Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos noted with deep concern this low turnout of candidates in the SK elections during our Kapihan sa Manila Bay at Cafe Adriatico in Remedios Circle in Malate last Wednesday. Gov. Marcos blamed “confusion” for the low turnout of SK candidates and not because of lack of interest or lack of concern for the country.

Gov. Marcos is regarded as the foremost youth leader who started it all through her Kabataang Barangay (KB) during the term of her late father, ex-president Ferdinand Marcos. Thus, she frowned at calls to abolish the SK. But she agreed to make the youth council more relevant to the lives of the Filipino millineals in this age of digital world if ever she decides to run for the Senate in the coming mid-term elections in May next year.

She pointed the confusion created largely by the age brackets of who are qualified to vote to the age of who are qualified to run for SK posts. Also, the Ilocos Norte Gov. cited as having caused “confusion” is the effectivity of the anti-political dynasty provision under the SK Reform Act that bans candidates with relatives who are incumbent SK officials to run for election if they are related up to second degree of consanguinity, that is a father or mother or children/sibling.

Speaking for the Marcos family, she admitted their political clan is having a hard time looking for successors who would continue the family’s political dynasty. From the younger Marcoses, she noted, no one seems to be interested in running for public office.

Her own son, she cited, who is part of the provincial board in Ilocos Norte is reluctant to run for governor. Gov. Marcos is on her third and last term. As for her possible Senate bid next year, she waffled whether to make a run for it or not. Her brother, former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is still contesting before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) his loss to Vice President Leni Robredo during the May 2016 elections. Their nearly 90-year-old mother Imelda is also on her third and last term as congresswoman of the second district of Ilocos Norte.

“We’ve been recruiting Bongbong’s son. So if this goes on, let’s see, sino pa mabu-bully or mapapakiusapan or

maiiyakan ng lola (Imelda). Tingnan natin,” she quipped. Their family rose to power after patriarch Ferdinand won the presidency in 1965. They stayed in power at Malacañang Palace for almost two decades after Marcos turned his presidency into a dictatorship after declaring martial law in 1972.

In the case of barangay elections, Gov. Marcos recalled her late father’s legacy for the institution of this basic political unit in the Philippines in the spirit of “volunteerism” and not as partisan organization of community officials. Unfortunately through the years, she noted the national government “dumped” to barangays activities from anti-drugs to health centers and the like without funding support.

Naturally, such lack of funding enticed barangays to seek the help of the Mayor, their Governor, their Congressman, etc. that draw them in to partisan politics.

Despite such constraints, many are still dying literally to win in barangay elections as in the case of candidates being killed. Is being a barangay official really worth dying for?

Such projected relatively high turnout of voters, however, was not matched by the low turnout of candidates wanting to run for barangay and SK posts.