TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – Saying that the last barangay elections were futile and sparked political rivalry among relatives, 1BAP party-list Rep. Silvestre Bello said yesterday he will file a bill for the abolition of the village polls.
Bello said he will propose to give the power to appoint village officials to the local chief executives.
He said the village elections entail expenses and caused division among families, as he noted that most of the casualties in the politically related violence were family members.
“Instead of promoting strong family ties, the barangay elections is dividing our people for the sake of partisan politics,†he said.
Bello said it would be better if the mayors would be given the power to appoint village officials in order to ensure that his programs are supported in the grassroots level.
He downplayed the possibility that the mayors might abuse the power and perpetuate themselves in office, saying it would be up to the voters to decide on that.