Metro mayors back barangay polls in May

Metro Manila mayors gave yesterday its overwhelming support for the holding of the barangay elections this year.

In a meeting of the Metro Mayor’s League in a Quezon City restaurant yesterday, the 15 mayors present agreed to support the holding of barangay polls in May. The exercise is expected to cost the Commission on Elections (Comelec) P1.5 billion.

"It is the essence of democracy, lack of funds is a flimsy reason, Comelec should have foreseen the problem," said the Mayor’s League spokesman Pasay City Peewee Trinidad.

Oppositors to the election was proposed citing costliness of such exercise. Barangay chairmen and their kagawads serve community leaders, who, according to some sectors could be easily appointed from among respected residents of a neighborhood.

In Trinidad’s jurisdiction alone, the city has five times more barangays than what is ideal. Pasay City has around 200 barangays while only 40 would be sufficient.

Pasay City spends at least P20 million for the salaries of barangay leaders alone. An ordinance calling for a plebiscite to reduce this number, on the other hand, is not likely to win because the reduction is tantamount to booting out at least 1,000 barangay leaders out of office.

The planned Pasay City plebiscite would cost the city government P15 million. – Jose Aravilla