Liga ng mga Barangay supports moving barangay polls, aims for term extensions

Liga ng Mga Barangay (LnB) president Edmund Abesamis said on Wednesday that postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections again to 2019 may be the key to a term extension for barangay officials.

Abesamis explained in an interview on "Unang Balita" that postponing the elections may fulfill their advocacy of extending the term limits of barangay officials from three three-year terms to two or three five-year terms.

"Yun pong pagpapaliban, ay isang bahagi lang po yan. Ang suportado po namin talaga dito ay yuong pagpapalawig ng termino ng mga barangay officials," he said.

He said they have pushed for the term extension since the 16th Congress and supposedly had the support of several lawmakers from Congress and Senate.

"Ito pong pagpapaliban muli ay parang, kahit papano, ay sinusuportahan yung pagpapalawig ng termino, ay nagkakaroon ng katuparan," Abesamis said.

He claimed that seeking term extensions is not self-serving on the league's part, as it will help barangay officials perform their governmental functions.

"Yan naman po ay hindi dahil sa makikinabang sa mas mahabang panunungkulan," Abesamis said.

"Talaga pong yung pagaaral, kung papaanong gagawin, paano maayos yung panunungkulan sa barangay ay ginagawa sa pamamagitan ng mga training at seminars. Dahil po mahaba na ganun, bago natin matutunan, ay mageeleksyon na naman," he later added.

Abesamis said a bill championing the term extension was passed on a committee level in Congress and in Senate.

He added that LnB's original goal was diluted by chat of federalism, and that they did not wish for no-el or no elections.

"Nagkaroon na ng issues sa no-el, yung sa federalism, yung sa ganyan po, kaya parang nalunod na yung tunay na diwa at dahilan kung bakit namin gusto na magkaroon ng mas malawig na termino," he said.

"Kailangan po magkaroon ng mga ganyan. At yung hindi nga po dapat pigilin na magkaroon ng intelligent discussion rin sa federalismo," Abesamis added.

The elections were originally supposed to be held in October 2016, but were postponed to October 2017. Congress then moved it to May this year.

Abesamis last year supported the proposal to postpone the barangay elections to May 2018 after holding consultations around the country with LnB members. — Rie Takumi/BM, GMA News