The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Election are wrapped up and I’m definite that declaration of the newly-elected representatives is another story.
Voting has been postponed in three towns in Isabela province that were horribly severely harmed by typhoon “Juan”. Violence in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur lead to resolution of nonachievement of elections, but complete, yesterdays elections were broadly chatting serene, that was as showed by the police officer and military.
The poll was postponed in total of 1,732 barangays out of 42, 025 barangays in the country. Why? A divergent obstacle bedeviled the elections, impelling the postponement: ballots and other paraphernalia came late or did not come at all.
So, what happened? Comelec put the find clear fault to the National Printing Office for the retard in the deliverance of the ballots. In environs where the elections dropped through, there were the typical grievances about the names vanishing from the voters’ lists. A new obstacle in this electoral exercise was the candidacy over 4,000 incumbent barangay representatives who were ineligible to run because they have now performed three following terms. The labels were furnished to the Comelec by the Department of Interior and Local Government. Why weren’t those candidates identified early on and disqualified from running?
The Comelec said some incumbent barangay representatives brazenly dismissed their three-term fix and are looking for re-election. Voters can make the Comelec’s purge of these candidates less difficult by picking new settlement officials.
President Aquino articulated public sentiment when he said he was dissatisfied with the preparations for the elections. The aged manual procedure of voting was employed and the Comelec is assumed to be organized for the more troubles that could crop up. If it is established that the retard in the deliverance of election paraphernalia was intentional, the Comelec should analyze the prospect of applying the new justice on electoral sabotage, which carries weighty retributions, in resistance to those involved. Poll automation in May this year marked a general improvement in Philippine elections. The barangay and SK polls should not be a step backward.
Talangka Ripablik 