While President Marcos respects the legislative process in relation to the proposal to extend the term of barangay officials, he hopes that the changes would be aligned to good local governance.
Changes in barangay execs' term must be aligned to good governance—Marcos
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (Betheena Unite)
"Actually po, ang extension ng terms ay nasa pagdi-discuss pa po sa Kongreso at iginagalang naman po ng Pangulo ang legislative process (Actually, the extension of terms is still being discussed in Congress, and the President respects the legislative process)," Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro said when asked for the President's stance on the matter on Wednesday, June 11.
"Pero nais din pong ipabatid ng Pangulo kung anuman ang pagbabago, ito po ay dapat na naaayon sa adhikain na magkaroon ng mabuting local governance at pag-unlad ng komunidad (However, the President also wants to convey that any changes must be aligned with the goal of achieving good local governance and community development)," she added.
Castro also stressed that the scheduled Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will proceed as scheduled in December this year.
"Tuloy po iyan hangga’t wala pong naibibigay na batas kung ito ay ika-cancel or ipapa-postpone (That will proceed as long as no law has been passed to cancel or postpone it)," the Palace official said.
The Palace made the statement after a bill that seeks to extend the term of elected barangay officials and Sanguniang Kabataan has been approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading.