In an interview in Cebu, Vice President Jejomar Binay proposed that he is favor not only for the abolition of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, but also of Barangay Elections. For him, this is just an unnecessary expense for the government every three years.
As the former mayor of Makati, Binay knows the plight of the barangay officials. He further stated that the Congress should instead give mayors the authority to appoint the barangay officials. This will ensure that the programs of the LGUs are supported by the barangay leaders.
He also mentioned that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) spends P3.4 billion to conduct the Barangay and SK elections in more than 42,000 barangays nationwide.
This idea requires the amendment of the Local Government Code or RA 7160. But this proposal has a lot of valid points. For one, the barangay councils do not pass legislative measures and laws. These officials have basically little purpose.
The mayors are also the ones that are accountable to the people. If barangay officials do not support them, the programs will not be implemented smoothly.
I think it is high time to consider this novel proposal. But, of course, it would require a lot of discussions before the amendment can happen. Hopefully, this is one of the political reforms that we will see very soon under the P-Noy administration. Let us wait and see. . .
Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=601301
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