DILG exec tells barangay officials: Prepare for appointments

An official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government told local officials at a recent Liga ng mga Barangay National Assembly to prepare in case the October polls will be postponed and the appointment by the President of new barangay leaders may follow as a result.

GMA News quoted DILG Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III as saying, "Maghanda sa posibilidad na i-appoint na lang ang mga susunod na barangay officials imbis na mag-eleksyon."

Densing also said local officials should monitor developments of a pending bill at the House of Representatives that seeks postponement of the barangay elections.

President Rodrigo Duterte favors postponement, supposedly to prevent drug money from influencing the local polls' results, citing intelligence information that 40 percent of barangay officials have links to illegal drugs.

Duterte also expressed his wish to just appoint barangay officials, but the Local Government Code doesn't allow such move.

On the other hand, Densing pointed out that if lawmakers favor postponement, the DILG would be given the power to appoint and not the mayors or the governors.

He also assured local officials at the assembly that appointments would be politics-free, adding that the national government would want to course resources directly to barangays.

Meanwhile, Densing defended sacked DILG Secretary Ismael Sueno.

He said there is no truth to allegations that Duterte fired Sueno due to corruption issues, adding that the secretary is a good man. —LBG, GMA News