THE MOUNTAINEER

The best of many worlds
EDISON L. BADDAL

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The association of barangay councils (ABC) presidents and sangguniang kabataan municipal federation (SKMF) presidents have been elected simultaneously nationwide on Dec. 11 and 6, respectively.

By now, those who snared the leaderships in said federations are warming up their seats as ex-officio councilors in the Sangguniang Bayan of the municipality where they were elected. Thereafter, the elected municipal ABC and SKMF presidents likewise elected their provincial federation leaders. The election of the officers of the SK provincial federation was conducted simultaneously nationwide on Dec. 17 while that for the federation of the ABCs was conducted simultaneously nationwide too, in all provinces on Dec. 29. The winners of the presidency for the provincial federation of ABCs, FABC, and the SKPF now sit as provincial board members of the province where their municipality belongs.

Consequently, the latter vacated the presidency of their respective municipal federations where they won earlier as ABC or SKMF president and their respective vice-presidents superseded
them as ex-officio councilors. Here in Mt. Province, the SKPF presidency was won by Hadji Laminta of Tadian on Dec. 17.

His municipal vice-president,James Polawes of Barangay Cagubatan, became the ex-officio councilor of Tadian as Laminta assumed as ex-officio board member. The former first won as SKMF president in said municipality on Dec. 6. For the FABC-Mt. Province, Teddy Lacawsan of Bauko snared the presidency last Dec. 29, thus, he is now an ex-officio board member.

He won earlier as ABC president in Bauko last Dec. 11. Meanwhile, his municipal vice-president, a certain Mr. Sili of barangay Leseb, assumed as ex-officio councilor of said municipality. For a highly urbanized city like Baguio or an independent component city like Davao City and others found in the archipelago which are not under the administrative supervision of a province, the elected ABC and SKMF president is not involved in the election of a FABC president or SKPF president.However, for a component city like Tabuk City which is under the administrative supervision of Kalinga, its winning ABC and SKMF president will participate and likewise be eligible as a candidate for the FABC or SKPF presidency.

By and large, the presidency of the two political organizations are hotly contested and no less than buy-outs, horse trading and backstabbings quintessential of a regular election are not absent. The only difference is that in this electoral contest, the aspirants for leadership in both are limited
to the punong barangays for the ABC and the SK Chairs for the SKMF. So that the case of an elector becoming cozy to both or all aspirants for the municipal or provincial leaderships of the federation is not uncommon.

As instances of hedging or stalling for a higher price is not lacking and so is backroom negotiations, political fence-sitting of the electors being courted is essentially rife with them running like hares and hunting like hounds. One drawback in the SK municipal federation elections is that the parents of the aspirants are involved in the campaign. They are usually the ones who bankroll the candidacy of the latter being a source of family pride, honor and joy.

As a result, recriminations of fraud and deceit abound in the conduct with one party trying to outwit the other in a game of upmanship. Generally, this vitiates the integrity of the SKMF elections. This goes without saying that the contest for the SK federations is nothing less than a proxy war between parents of the contending parties. Ditto at the provincial level wherein the aspirants for the SKPF presidency are likewise financially supported by their parents through enticements of elected SKMF presidents of the component municipalities.

As to the reason why the leaderships in both associations are hotly and aggressively contested, this is because it is a far more manageable means to enter the sanggunian or higher legislative body than aspiring for a regular position for councilor or board member. Also, there is a very limited number of voters to persuade even as it is not comparatively expensive. In some cases, though some candidates do flaunt their buying price to sky high limits if there is a stalwart opponent or if some potential electors tend to be intransigent.

But, all in all, snaring the ABC or the SKMF presidency either at the municipal or provincial level is the shortest, easiest and fastest way to become a councilor or provincial board member.
Another reason is that whereas they are considered ex-officio councilors or provincial board
members owing to their position, they enjoy all the perks, perquisites and fringe benefits that regular members thereof are entitled to. This is due to the fact that in principle, they are equal in status and stature with their regular elected colleagues.

However, for committee chairmanships, the ABC president automatically chairs the barangay
affairs committee at the municipal council as they are the mandatory chair thereof. Ditto in the provincial board for the winning FABC president. In the same vein, the SKMF president
automatically chairs the committee on youth and sports development at the municipal level while the winner of the SKPF presidency also chairs the sports development committee at the provincial board.

Aside from this, they could also chair another regular committee pursuant to the Local Government Code of 1991 which provides that an individual member of any legislative council could chair two committees at the most and entitled to membership in a maximum of three. Meanwhile, the SKMF president, SKPF president, municipal ABC president and the FABC president, simultaneously
holds their basic positions in the barangay from whence they were able to attain their municipal
or provincial positions.

The SKMF or SKPF president still retains the SK chairmanship in his barangay. Same is true with the municipal Liga or FABC president who retains the position of Punong Barangay in his barangay. So that aside from enjoying all the perks attendant to being ex-officio councilor or board member, they also enjoy having honoraria from their barangay. This also goes with the enjoyment of other benefits and privileges of barangay officials as enumerated in Sec.393 of the local government code.


These benefits include but are not limited to the following, to wit: free tuition and matriculation fees
in a state college or university for them, free hospitalization in a government hospital, second grade CSC eligibility after termination of term and others. For an SKPF president who is charged with managing the affairs of the SKMF, aside from being an ex-officio Board Member,
he is the SK Chair of his barangay and an ex-officio sangguniang barangay member at the same time.

On the other hand, the SKMF president is likewise charged with taking care of the transactions
of the SKMF while at the same time sits as ex-officio councilor and SK Chair of his barangay and ex-officio barangay kagawad. This runs true with the municipal liga and provincial ABC
president. These multiple positions lodged in one person could be daunting and unsettling what with the multifarious responsibilities albeit relevant concerns.

The Liga president, as required by the Liga constitution and by-laws, should convene the liga at least twice a year or as often as necessary. He is required to attend weekly meetings of the sangguniang bayan or sangguniang panlungsod or sangguniang panlalawigan as the case may be.

On top of it all, he must preside over the meetings of the sangguniang barangay which is at least twice a month. For the SKMF or SKPF president, he should convene the SK in his barangay at least once a month aside from attending meetings of the sanggunian where he is an ex-officio member. As if such humongous responsibilities aren’t enough, a liga and SKMF or SKPF president should attend meetings of local special bodies in the LGU where they are mandatory members like peace and order council, local development council, local health board, local school board and other committees.

One upside of these multiple responsibilities and concerns is that it provides them the opportunity to hobnob with the powers-that-be. It also enhances their socio-economic standing in the community which is nothing to say of charisma and fame especially if they are able to chalk noteworthy achievements. Leandro Yangot of Baguio City, who made history as the only man to be elected as ABC president twice over in 1994 and 1997 then became a vice-mayor, is one glaring example of a successful ABC president.

Hence, it is a facile springboard for a higher position which is another incidental upside of said positions. Having well-nigh all the advantages relevant to such multiple positions, a municipal liga or FABC presidency, SKMF or SKPF presidency undoutedly enables the holders thereof to have the best of many worlds in the local bureaucracy.

However, panning out in discharging the attendant responsibilities is one big question to be
considered. In the long run, it is not the multifarious titles that count but how such titles and/or positions are parlayed for the improvement of the quality of lives of the constituents or service sectors. Thus, while it may be fulfilling to have the best of many worlds, making use of the best therefore for one’s sphere of authority and influence is purely a different matter altogether.

In consonance with the new year, in whatever world you are in, be it one or more, may you have the best that it offers especially the blessings of peace, prosperity, goodwill and love, the greatest of all virtues. A happy new year to one and all!