LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

Expensive ABC elections
MARCH L. FIANZA

There is widespread sentiment among barangay constituents that public service by their neighborhood officials today has adopted a new impression. In the recent barangay polls, Comelec offices were swarmed by registrants from all walks of life – all wanting to “serve” as chairman or kagawad.

This was unprecedented from the time the late President Marcos re-invented the barangay system where the position of kapitan del baryo was typically contested by prominent barangay residents. In the last barangay elections, the list of candidates included many contractors, engineers, doctors, retired teachers, lawyers, retired policemen, and even former councilors.

While many of the candidates wanted to perform genuine public service, the rest had plans, not for their barangay but for their own interest – or maybe both. Aside from improvising styles of barangay governance, most if not all candidates for kapitan were after public works contracts, other perks plus money-making ventures, including jueteng of course.

That is partly the result of the notorious manipulations and postponements of barangay elections in the past. But that is nothing compared to what our kapitanes in Baguio have become, as some of them have turned into gambling lords – legally and otherwise. In fact, the masterminds of the barangay bingo-jueteng structures have started influencing their counterparts in Benguet, Pangasinan and La Union.

As we write, the tests encountered in the recent barangay polls are far from over. Today the kapitanes look forward to still another election to choose from among themselves the officials for the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC). This is one of the motivations that persuaded some lawyers and former councilors into winning the top seat in the barangay – to be ABC president.

Although this part of the whole barangay election process is not so politicized as compared to other parts of the country, it has become expensive. Although ABC elections in the country have been tainted by vote buying, we limit our discussion to what has been and what still happens in Baguio and Benguet.

According to some kapitanes friends, ABC presidential contenders have started offering their supporters cash or checks to the tune of P10,000 each. There are 128 barangays in Baguio . Contenders may wish to raise the offer to P15,000 or P20,000 or more, for as long as the candidates have cash to dole out.

That is also true in Benguet. Here, the candidates dole out more than their city counterpart because the greed for power does not stop in a seat in the munisipyo. Of course after money changed hands, it is expected that the candidate who “reached out” to more has insured himself a seat in the municipal council. Now, as ABC president, he prepares to buy his way up to a seat in the provincial legislature. There are 140 barangays in all 13 municipalities in Benguet.

Aside from the ABC, the Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) winners submit to the “advise” of their elders and succumb to corruption by replicating the ABC election affairs. This is especially true for SK candidates whose parents are contractors. In most cases, the SK chair who sits in the council or provincial board heads the “silent committee” and becomes a mere “stamp pad” for the parents who make the decisions.

The recently concluded campaign and elections for the League of Councilors in the 13 towns of Benguet was also stained with vote-buying. Now, with everyone buying each others support, try computing the amount of money that changed hands during the elections of presidents for kapitanes, SK and councilors’ league.

Except for those who simply wanted to work as plain kapitanes or SK chairs, it is not easy to believe that the presidents of the ABC, SK and councilors’ leagues – after tedious and expensive elections, will render sincere and honest to goodness public service. To recoup what has been spent in the elections is a priority agenda. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com