VILLAGE CONSULTATIONS. House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez in a dialogue with village officials in Malaguicay, Tanauan, Leyte. Village officials in Leyte have welcomed the move to postpone next year’s barangay (village) elections to 2022 as this will ensure continuity of development initiatives. (Photo from FB page of FM Romualdez)
TACLOBAN CITY -- Village officials in Leyte have welcomed the move to postpone next year’s barangay (village) elections to 2022 as this will ensure continuity of development initiatives.
Ruel Tondo, village chief of Malaguicay in Tanauan town told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday that the suspension of village polls would give them ample time to pursue and implement projects they have set for their respective village.
“We were elected just last year and months after that we have not accomplished much because of the transition to the new set of officials. We participated in training that helped us familiarize our roles and task as new officials. This means we only have less than a year to implement our proposed projects if the election is next year,” Tondo said.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Dec. 3, 2019, Republic Act 11462 or the Postponement of the 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections Act. It effectively moves the synchronized elections on May 11, 2020 to Dec. 5, 2022.
Current village and SK officials will remain in office until their successors have been duly elected or unless they have been removed or suspended.
SK federation president of Alangalang town Jan Reian Niño Saavedra said the two-year term is not enough for them to efficiently serve their constituent.
He said that after being elected in 2018, their time was meant for orientations and capability training that equipped them with proper knowledge on project planning and implementation.
With this, he added, the council could efficiently implement sustainable projects in health, education, peace and security, environment, active citizenship, and others.
Saavedra also pointed out that he will make sure that the term extension would not be an opportunity for corruption, but rather an opportunity to make a bigger impact in the community.
President Duterte in his keynote speech said that the new law is vital in “realizing meaningful and lasting reform for the good of our nation.” (PNA)
