By Paulo Loreto Lim
Rep. Alfredo Benitez, while expressing his confidence that barangay elections have a “90 percent” chance of being postponed, suggested incumbent barangay officials be held over while working out the appointment process, as proposed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“There are several groups that feel uneasy with appointing public officials,” he said. “Mayors can appoint but it will bring us back to a political environment.”
“There are pros and cons but, for me, might as well do the traditional holdover,” the congressman added.
Other local officials have expressed mixed reactions to the proposal, with Bacolod Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya saying the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) should be the leading body in choosing officials for local barangays and not mayors, while Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia is still researching the issue.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. believes he should have the authority to appoint barangay leaders in the province./WDJ