MANILA, Philippines - I have always been a great believer in the concept of participation and subsidiarity. The latter means that the larger unit of government should not do what the smallest unit (which is the village or barangay) is able to perform. The latter should be given the support and encouragement that would make it feel truly empowered. After all, the barangay is closest to the citizens and can more effectively respond to problems such as peace and order, environment, and even livelihood training of its citizenry. It also provides medical and dental services to the needy. We know of some barangays with exemplary leaders that have been able to respond to most of the needs of the residents. I live in an area where the barangay council had functioned satisfactorily over the years. We have been fortunate to have had hard-working barangay chairpersons and a competent set of kagawads.
As of this writing, the polls have just closed, although voting in some 1,700 barangays had been postponed for the following day (Tuesday) because of delays in the arrival of election paraphernalia.
But the reports from the field thus far have not been encouraging. Comelec says that voting has been smooth in 96% of the barangays. Which is quite true as the turnout is much less than it was during the May election. There were only 60 who had voted ahead of me when I arrived at the polling place at 10:30 am. But I did note that the voters' list had been juggled as the list was different - with my name appearing as No. 98. I did not see evidence of vote buying which, I understand, was rampant, especially in the SK election. There were several flying voters apprehended in Metro Manila, ballot snatching in Abra, and at least 47 incidents of violence throughout the country. PNP Director Benjie Belarmino who was interviewed on ANC's Rundown said the election this year was peaceful compared to 2007 when the incidence of violence was much higher. However, he noted that violence occurred in places that were not identified as "hot spots."
President Aquino has expressed dismay over the conduct of the election. Atty. Calleja, legal counsel of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, likewise expressed the Council's disappointment over Comelec's inadequate preparation. The National Printing Office's printing machines were old, thus resulting in printing errors. Part of the delay was, therefore, due to the re-printing of ballots and other election materials. Even the paper used was of low quality. Road hitches and shipping problems were blamed for the delays in arrival of materials, especially in the Bicol provinces. Comelec Legal Director Rafanan noted the lessons learned in this election, among them the need to computerize voters' list and the use of biometrics Perhaps the one positive outcome that it resulted in was considerable government savings (P63 million) from the P93-million budget allocated for forwarding costs of election paraphernalia. Could this perhaps be due to transparency in the bidding process?
In this 2010 Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan elections, 42,025 barangay chairmen and 294,175.kagawads and similar numbers of SK chairmen and kagawads will be selected. However, some 4,000 multi-timers will be disqualified and may even face legal suits and sanctions.
Commenting on the interest and number of candidates, Comelec Commissioner Velasco said that this was perhaps due to the provision of benefits, honorariums, and IRA which had encouraged more people to run for barangay positions.
After the dust had settled and the elected officials shall have assumed office, we hope that Comelec will be able to come up with a fairly plausible assessment that will satisfy the public. It still has to answer questions on the Automated Election System. We do not know if it is still suffering from fatigue, but this certainly is no excuse for not performing up to par during this last election. I think many like me would like to see reforms put in place to make the barangay structure more responsive and accountable. This of course must start with the electoral system. My e-mail is florangel.braid@gmail.com
