Enrile for synching nat'l & brgy. Polls

CEBU, Philippines - Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is supporting the passage of the bill synchronizing the national and barangay elections in 2016.

The Senate is now discussing the bill lobbied by the National Liga ng mga Barangay and passed by the House of Representatives.

The National Liga Ng Mga Barangay authored this bill to reschedule the 2013 barangay and SK elections to 2016 in accordance with its desire to synchronize the barangay elections with the national elections and the holding of regular barangay elections every six years thereafter.

Enrile said the synchronized election will be from the president down to the barangay level, which means that if it will be approved, the barangay elections on October 2013 will be postponed, thus extending the terms of incumbent barangay officials.

“Pinag-uusapan na namin yan ngayon sa senado na ma-synchronize na ang election ng bansa kasi napakalaki ng gastos sa eleksyon dahil nga may mid-year pa tayo, every after three years ‘yung election natin,” Enrile said in a gathering of barangay captains yesterday at the Asian Hall of the Cebu Grand Convention Center.

Enrile said that officials in the barangay level must be given longer terms than officials in other levels.

“Ang mga barangay ang pinakamalapit sa puso ng mga tao. Walang tao na hindi naninirahan sa isang barangay. Kaya po sila dapat ang nasa frontline, sila ang haligi at ang pundasyon. Kaya dapat kilalanin ang kahulugan at importansiya ng mga barangay,” he said.

“Sa pagpapahaba ng termino ng mga barangay officials, magagawa nila ang lahat ng mga magagandang plano nila sa kani-kanilang mga sinasakupan at hindi sila basta-bastang magagamit ng ibang mga politiko tuwing eleksyon,” he added.

Enrile said that the two-party system will be back as well once there will be synchronization of the election. The country will be split into two political parties.

“Binubuo naming ang United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) para suportahan ang mga tamang gagawin ng mga namamahala ng ating bansa at pag hindi na tama ang kanilang ginagawa, kasama kami ng mga tao sa pag-remind sa kanila na dapat ituwid nila ang mga pagkakamali,” he said.

According to Councilor Michael Rallota, Region 7 Association of Barangay Councils president and board of director of National Liga nga mga Barangay sa Pilipinas, the bill states that the barangay officials will have six-year terms and one reelection.

“We are the one lobbying this bill in Senate through Senate President Enrile and Lower House Speaker Sonny Belmonte,” he said.

“All the barangay captains are very happy that their term will be extended so that they could still continue the projects that they’re making,” he added.

Enrile is optimistic that his colleagues will support the passage of the bill. –(FREEMAN)