Would it be a mistake not to care for the barangay elections too much?
Think of this: what harm would it be to vote for the local tambay that you always seem to encounter at the weekly inuman? Or better yet, what bad would happen when you choose not to vote? After all, ikaw lang ang nag-iisang disente sa barangay niyo—you’re too far away from your hometown, where nothing ever happens. You might be too busy building up your career résumé, which actually matters to you—much more than the elections anyway. So, what’s at stake?
The foundation of good governance starts at the grassroots level. If anything, the previously held 2022 General Election for the executive and legislative branches taught us a humbling lesson: elections on all fronts matter. Sure, the flashiest throne looks high and mighty, but it holds no weight if those below would perpetuate corruption even in the tiniest of schemes. The foundation matters, and that applies to our barangay officials as well.
Art by Angelica Amio
Judge, Jury, Executioner
Formed with one Barangay Captain and seven Barangay Kagawads, the Barangay holds more power than what we initially would like to acknowledge.
First, what matters to most of us: our ability to complain, and get justice served the way we see fit. Your local disputes first need to bypass the mediation process of the barangay before going to court or the police station, whether it may be because of your obnoxious neighbors, who do not seem to care about videoke-ing late in the evening, or the small-turned-messy parking conflict you can’t seem to avoid.
They are also vital to the creation of a development plan for your neighborhood. In terms of disaster preparedness and environmental resilience, they lead clean-ups of our drainage and are the first responders in the flood-stricken areas. Handing out infrastructure permits may be viewed as a usual comply-and-go activity, but this process matters when lives may be in danger because of ignored hazards. The by-product of the belittlement of the barangay position is the barely regulated development projects from the private sector, which may affect the community or environment negatively.
Their processes will also determine whether or not you’ll be spending a full day getting your Barangay Clearance, or if you’ll even be paying for it (to which the Local Government Code of 1991 states that they can collect reasonable fees for service rendered).
Whereas higher offices are restricted by the relative degree of power separation, the local officials are not too bothered by it. In their little dominion, they’re the boss.
A Deadly, Delayed Democracy
Now, it’s important to ask: why has it felt like forever since we last held elections for our local officials?
If we were to look at the Republic Acts passed since the 17th Congress, the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections has consistently been one of the priority bills passed at the bicameral level. Back in 2016, Duterte claimed that he feared that the “drug money will seep into the electoral process.” In 2019, Congress representatives argued that delaying the elections to 2022 was a ‘cost-cutting measure’. In his SONA in the same year, Duterte supported the postponement once more, arguing that there is a need to rectify the shortened terms of the seated barangay officials.
It is crucial that we remember the importance of barangay officials in Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs. Barangay officials held onto the first necessary step of the War on Drugs: listing the people within their area. Joel Ariate, Jr., a researcher at the UP Third World Studies Center (TWSC) claimed, “Napupuwersa ‘yung mga barangay captain na mag-turn in ng mga listahan ng [Barangay captains are forced to turn in lists of] known drug personalities, which is a very loose term.” Perhaps, extending the barangay officials’ term was his subtle, indirect way of garnering support for the campaign against drugs.
Electoral violence was also apparent during the Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) 2023. This year alone, 100 people were hurt, and another 29 were killed in the barangay elections. PPCRV claims that this year’s elections were ‘generally peaceful’, as compared to what transpired during the 2018 elections. For the community, voting for the right official is what stands between receiving public service, and the denial of it. A loyal barangay captain would prove to be useful when the local elections come and the mayor’s security is at stake. If the barangay official elections did not matter too much, why then would it be highly contested, even to the point of death?
No One Permanent Solution
Politicians at the national level have long since determined that massive reforms are needed to address grassroots corruption. The Mandanas ruling provided an opportunity for expanded devolution, as the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) offered a solution: to further devolve national services to LGUs. Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, however, argued that “the problem is worse in fourth to sixth-class municipalities that lack legal officers or experts with knowledge about laws on government procurement and auditing, graft and corruption, ease of doing business and even local autonomy.”
Added to the Mandanas ruling, they will build their own roads out of their own coffers. They also noted that this made investors hesitant, as most of the developmental plans are calculated in three-year local election cycles with no certainty of continuation. He also argued that, under the provision of the Local Government Code, barangays are tasked to generate their own funds. He also argues that the ruling does not take into account the low-income LGUs who can simply not handle all the devolved functions. What differentiates the delegated responsibilities between the municipalities and barangays remains an ambiguous pointing of fingers for accountability, credit-grabbing, and concrete realization of projects that directly affect the community.
In the extreme end of the spectrum, former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez once said that he wanted to abolish the SK and barangay councilors, as he claims that the barangay councilors do not work, and should instead be replaced with purok councilors who are more fit to receive government benefits. From these two proposed changes alone, it is evident that there is a general distrust towards barangay officials,
For all that is said, our barangay officials would appreciate it if you don’t care too much. Your indifference is their victory, and their victory cements their political backing from the higher-ups. Nevertheless, we are not void of power, regardless of our lack of faith in the system. With incremental changes such as the anti-dynasty law in the Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, and the constant and persisting democracy, we are bound for progress, albeit our pace lies at the hands of competent leadership and collective action.
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