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Who’s afraid of barangay election?
WILL THE barangay election push through this October?
Barangays are not just the basic units of government; they are also the basic people’s organizations that maintain peace and order and implement projects in accordance with the needs and wishes of the members of the community.
The further strengthening of the powers of local governments – including provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays – is being suggested so they can harness people power in the great effort to promote local and national progress and the public welfare.
The strengthening of the autonomous powers of local governments, from the provincial, city, and municipal to the barangay level is needed so that the citizenry can fully participate in the governance of their respective localities, drawing their strength and ideas from the collective resources of the masses.
So will there be barangay elections this October? If there is, the people in the barangays must help ensure clean elections by organizing watchdog committees that would guard against fraud and violence in the balloting. As leaders and representatives of the community at the grassroots, barangay officials have the duty and obligation as well as the authority to safeguard the electoral exercise at the barangay level to ensure free, orderly and honest elections. The will of the community must be truly reflected in the election returns.
Barangay officials should consider themselves not just as agents of the national and local governments, but as representatives of the people of their barangays. It is their duty to see to it that the desires of their constituents as expressed through the ballot are protected, accurately reported and fully implemented.
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