So there are eight barangays in the entire Davao Region that could likely become “areas of concern” this coming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on October 30? This is according to the spokesperson of the Police Regional Office (PRO) XI Maj. Catherine de la Ray, and confirmed as well by Acting Commission on Elections Region XI Director lawyer Gay Enumerables during the regular Police media forum held early this week.
Both the Police and COMELEC officials though did not mention the barangays concerned other than saying these are located in Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental. It is a good thing that they have not mentioned of Davao City having one or two.
Indeed, even with the current remunerations of barangay officials the village polls are still hotly contested in some areas! How much more when the law granting fixed salaries and benefits to barangay officials is finally implemented?
We cannot help but think that there must be some things in that level of governance that make it so attractive to contend even to the extent of using violence just to get the positions. Of course there are openly known perks like the “Lakbay Aral,” and other “sponsored” travels. Barangay officials also get some kind of allowances from the mayors or provincial governors charged against the intelligence funds from the national government “shared” to the concerned top officials of local governments. These pittance allowances are given to barangay officials every now and then because the latter are supposedly the government’s “eyes” and “ears” in identifying rebels in the community. They are also entitled to recommend for employment to the city, provincial, or municipal government certain number of people, mostly on contractual basis 9nder the “quota system.”
And perhaps what could be more enticing is this report we heard for some time already that if there are infrastructure projects implemented in the barangay the Barangay Council’s official acceptance is needed before full payment can be collected by the contractors. In many cases, we were told, the official acceptance, to be facilitated, needs some ‘grease money.”
Meaning, the bigger the project is, the bigger the “grease” has to be offered or maybe demanded.
Now, it should not surprise us and all others that there are more and more barangays moving into “areas of concern” in the forthcoming village elections. There IS so much to be desired already and some candidates are more than willing to “invest” money and even sow violence just to win in the polls.
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Honestly we are not against the Legislative Information Support System (LISSP) that is being planned to be implemented at the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao City. But we are just wondering if the same still requires an Ordinance for its full implementation. Our take on the matter is that the LISSP is only a process to improve the operation and administration of the Sanggunian. Therefore, it is a project and its funding should have been part of the operating budget of the local legislative body.
We believe that what is requiring an ordinance is the allocation for a supplemental budget that is needed to fund the LISSP requirements. That is, if the P4,856,590.00 budget needed for the project is not yet included in the 2023 budget of the SB.
Of course we have to congratulate first district councilor Bonze Militar for his efforts to digitalize the processes in the City Council. Though it requires a huge outlay for its implementation it surely will save a lot of money and efforts in the long run. And securing the records of the workingS of the Sangguniang Panlungsod will be assured to last for generations if properly handled.
The LISSP is one laudable idea to metamorphose into a project a councilor has ever introduced in the legislative chamber.
Congratulations Councilor Bonz. You SURELY give honor to the late Bonifacio Militar.
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We have this friend of ours who believes that former PNP Director General Jesus Azurin was not deported by the Canadian government. It is fictional that his alleged deportation has something to do with his role in the anti-drugs campaign during the dying months of the Duterte administration. It is “very unlikely,” according to this friend of ours.
The bottom line, according to him, is that Azurin was not allowed to enter Canada, and that there is got to be more to the story.
Whatever that is, sooner or later we will know. And it is already starting to unravel with the denial of another police general that he has something to do with Azurin’s unlikely feat in his Canadian travel.
