OFF THE BEATEN PATH
1,414,487 million people submitted their certificates of candidacy (COC) ahead of the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) on Oct. 30.
672,432 seats are up for grabs, including barangay chairperson, sangguniang barangay members, sangguniang kabataan chairperson and sangguniang kabataan members.
Imagine this and think of the numerous times when we took barangay elections for granted, thinking that there is little or no need to pay attention to the people who, for all intents and purposes, provide the first line of help should we find ourselves facing trouble in our homes. Very few among us can enumerate the list of concerns, issues and disputes that should first go to the barangay for adjudication before it reaches the courts. Not all are aware that the Katarungang Pambarangay allows conciliation, mediation and arbitration or that one can actually be summoned to appear before the barangay in a dispute or complaint.
More often than not, we hear the words “isumbong mo sa barangay” when minor inconveniences hamper our daily lives, hoping that our trusted barangay officials, whose names usually escape us, would play the role of troubleshooter. And they usually do. But what is equally important among their functions is their role as the national government’s first implementors of its various projects. After all, the barangay is the most basic local government unit in our country with the primary function of planning and implementing policies. It is the government’s first stop before services are directly trickled down to us as their constituents. The barangay officials are the ones first consulted before programs are formulated or firmed up.
Sounds important right? Almost as important as electing the right person as mayor, congressman and well, senator. Elect the wrong guy and you’ll possibly have a corrupt obstructionist who thinks nothing of what is good for the community. Or someone who only remembers to knock on your door when selling raffle tickets or in need of Christmas party contributions. Or worse, a barangay official who turns his mini fiefdom of a barangay hall into a gambling or drug den.
Point is, there will always be hero and horror stories, depending on how much interest you invest into the coming elections. The key is to get to know the candidates, even if their names or faces are not as interesting or recognizable as the politicos who land on the newspaper headlines. Find out their stand on social welfare, health care or peace and security because they should be the ones articulating your sentiments when asked by the powers-that-be. Vote. Go out and vote. Otherwise, consider yourself estopped from raising hell when your parochial barangay affairs turn into a nightmare, no thanks to the person you didn’t bother to elect into office.
Politics to most Filipinos is perhaps as interesting as a PBA game or the latest showbiz rumor or Tiktok trend. But our interests cannot or should not be limited to the people we know, or to the connections we have. “The mayor is my sister’s brother in law’s friend” will not always work and paying one’s trusted city hall fixer has an even shorter shelf life.
42,027 barangays in a country that is often too divided, with a citizenry that is either brimming with too much or too little enthusiasm for barangay matters, unless our sense of space or security is threatened.
This writer’s suggestion is simply this – do not wait. Put in some time and thought into the coming barangay elections and choose based on what matters most to you. Cleanliness? Cars that park outside your homes? Noise, defective streetlights, slow or no help during emergencies? We all have a wish list of what we think we deserve as taxpayers but it all begins with this basic exercise of a right – vote.
“It takes a village to raise a child”, but it sure takes a vote to build a nation.
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Queries on the upcoming elections have been coming through email and Facebook messages. Health protocols and safety concerns rank first among our senior citizens. Peace and order, for those from the far-flung barangays. Election offenses (600 show cause orders from Comelec issued thus far) and a whole lot more. Rest assured that we will be devoting a separate space to answer all of them.
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Off the beat: Sharing a mix I recorded live during the Sunset Session last Sept. 16, 2023 in Rockwell Club, Makati City.
Playlist: 1. Prince vs. Wally Badarou - Let’s Go Crazy vs. Chief Inspector; 2. Oasis vs. Backstreet Boys – Wonderwall vs. I Want It That Way; 3. Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On; 4. Amii Stewart – Friends; 5. Rick Astley – Hold Me In Your Arms; 6. Sybil – Don’t Make Me Over; 7. Wilson Philips – Hold On; 8. Massivo – Loving You; 9. Full Flava – September; 10. Raf – Due
Click the link to listen: https://www.mixcloud.com/goyolarrazabal/goyos-mix-sept-19-september-slow-jam/