Senator Francis Tolentino said on Saturday, Sept. 9, that being a candidate for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) should not affect the official function of incumbent barangay officials.  

"Yung official functions at tsaka yung estado bilang kandidato ngayon ay hindi dapat makaapekto sa delivery of services ng mga barangay (Official functions and the state of a candidate should not affect the delivery of services of the barangay),” Tolentino said.

The senator says there is no law prohibiting barangay officials from continuing to perform their official duties even if it gives them undue advantage over their rivals in the upcoming Barangay Elections.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia confirmed this over DZRH radio.

“Sa lahat ng 42,027 na barangay officials sa buong bansa, muli, hindi pinipigilan ng Comelec, at tama po wala ring batas na pumipigil sa inyo na kayo po ay mag-perform ng inyong mga trabaho hanggang sa matapos ang termino ninyo sa Nov. 1 po (To all 42,027 barangay officials in the country, again, Comelec is not stopping, or there's law stopping you to perform your duties until your term ends on Nov. 1),”Garcia said.

Tolentino, former mayor of Tagaytay and president of the City Mayors League of the Philippines, further addressed the barangay officials who are also running in the elections.

He said that barangay officials are mandated to deliver effective health services and maintain peace and order in their respective constituencies.