QC mayor urges barangay leaders to unite

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. yesterday called on all the winners and losers in the recently concluded barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to set aside their differences and unite for the benefit of their  community.

Belmonte said during the city’s executive staff meeting that the people have spoken and the losers have to respect the rule of the majority the mayor said .

He said 24 incumbent barangay chairmen lost while 38 barangay chiefs were no longer eligible to run after they completed their third and last terms in office.

Top city official also declared that contrary to some news reports, the elections in the city were generally peaceful.

Tady Palma, secretary to the mayor and head of the Novaliches District, said that there was no untoward incident that took place during the barangay and SK elections .

“Reports of allege anarchy such as hostage-taking has no basis,” Palma told The STAR.

Palma said in some areas, the losing candidates have filed protests and the cases are now pending in the local courts and the Commission on Elections.

He said that in some polling precincts the controversy involved voters who did not immediately found their names in the voters’ list but they were able to vote later after the records were reviewed.

Police reported the arrest of many violators of the liquor and gun bans but there were no violent election-related incident in the city’s 142 barangays.

Acting Comelec Chairman Resurrection Borra said Quezon City had given the biggest contribution among local government units to the barangay and SK elections as provided for by the Omnibus Election Code.

Borra told reporters during the weekly Kapihan sa Sulu Hotel forum last week that the city contributed more than P 20 million which was the highest contribution provided by a local government unit for the local polls.

Council Majority Leader Ariel Inton said the minority and the majority members of the city council crossed party lines and approved the supplemental budget requested by Mayor Belmonte to ensure  clean, honest and orderly elections.

Inton justified the passage of the ordinance since the funds given by the Comelec to the city government is only enough to cover the allowances of public school teachers that conducted poll duties.