A bill that would lengthen the term of office of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan or youth council officers from three to five years has been filed before the House of Representatives.
House Bill 7123 filed by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez would amend Section 43 of the Local Government Code, under which barangay and SK officials enjoy a tenure of three years and a three-consecutive term limit.
The proposed longer stay in office would take effect in the first barangay and SK elections after the enactment of the proposed amendatory law.
In suggesting a longer tenure, Rodriguez said the three-year term “is too short a time for the unity and stability in barangay leadership and affairs.
“It is not enough to ensure that the programs of the barangay are carried out properly, especially considering the fact that it cannot be denied that the last year of the term is used for campaigning,” he said.
He said a longer term “would ensure more stability at the barangay level and ensure that the programs initiated by the incumbents would come to fruition.”
Rodriguez, who chairs the House committee on constitutional amendments, added that with longer terms elections would be held less frequently, thus lessening discord between supporters of the candidates, as well as voters.
“It is common knowledge that elections, whether national, local, or barangay, prove to be divisive among the populace. Candidates and their supporters try to destroy their opponents by using any means to secure victory,” he said.
He noted that the Commission on Elections, which investigated numerous complaints about irregularities in the last barangay and SK polls five years ago, is about to come out with its report.
He said the report would indicate “who would be held liable for the late delivery of ballots and elections returns, which caused delays in the conduct of elections in several polling centers nationwide.”
“Also, many election documents were left behind by the shipping companies tapped by the poll body because of packaging delays at the National Printing Office in Quezon City,” he added.
Such complaints are proof of the divisiveness and problems encountered during elections, he said.