LAGAWE, IFUGAO– With their lives at the hands of barangay council officials, voters of Poblacion East are given another opportunity to choose who is going to be the Punong Barangay (or barangay captain) for the next three years of the capital town’s largest village in terms of number of voters.
Contesting the highest position at stake in the May 14 synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections are Punong Barangay Alfonso Dominong and Kagawad Arnel Sumeg-ang.
Observers and analysts see a close race between the two highly-dedicated and hardworking public servants.
Dominong assumed the unexpired term of then Punong Barangay Angel Tanguiling who won as a councilor in 2016. Up for scrutiny of his constituents is his record as village chieftain of the barangay with the most number of business establishments and site of the public market.
“I shall continue the programs that I have started like maintenance of peace and order and improvement of infrastructure system in the barangay,” Dominong told the ZigZag Weekly.
Dominong said it was unacceptable that villagers are not safe at their homes and offices or other work or worship places at all times.
He noted the role of ten tanods (watchmen) in the village’s seven puroks during their foot patrols to ensure public order. He attributed their efficiency to his program of providing them uniforms, nightsticks and flashlights.
He also pushed for the de-clogging of canals. Citing it as “a major accomplishment” along with road-opening projects, Dominong viewed infrastructure development as a major component of the over-all plan to further develop Lagawe’s premier village. For quite some time, Poblacion East earned the notoriety as a flood-prone village.
On the other hand, Kagawad Sumeg-ang has many other things in mind.
In an exclusive interview with the ZigZag Weekly, Sumeg-ang, 45, laid out his plans once elected. He vowed to focus on peace and security, health and sanitation and economic development.
“There is a need to go back to the basics of the solid waste management program and to once more underscore the importance of ‘segregation at source’ mode in solving the problem on garbage disposal,” Sumeg-ang asserted.
“I have high hopes in improving the health conditions in the barangay and addressing the needs of our health personnel,” he added.
The barangay nutrition scholar’s (BNS) honorarium is Php 1,500. There are an additional Php 500 and Php 250 from the municipal and provincial government, respectively. The predicament of the barangay health worker (BHW) is even more alarming. Believe or not: the honorarium is only Php 700. Counterpart of the municipal and provincial government: Zero.
Sumeg-ang is the chairman of the committee on people’s organizations. He is vice-chairman of the committees on education and infrastructure.
As a result of the all-out drive against illegal drugs, Poblacion East was declared drug-free village by law authorities, an assertion somehow disputed by Kagawad Sumeg-ang. There were 12 drug “surrenderees” or drug “personalities” in the “Operation Tokhang” campaign, referring to the government drive to flush out users and pusher. The village boosts of a 24-strong Masa Masid team, both Punong Barangay Dominong and Kagawad Sumeg-ang are members.
Poblacion East is sort of an educational and agriculture hub. Hope Christian School of Ifugao (not Hope Academy as many Ifugao folks are erroneously saying) is located here. There are also rice fields. It used to be an agricultural community until rapid growth took place five decades ago.
Ifugao Electric Cooperative (IFELCO) is likewise situated in this village.
There are 14 aspirants for Kagawad. They are Anderson Barsaga, Edward Bumohya, Alice Dinamling, Julio Dumanglan, Pericles Galap, Catalina Gano, David Kimayong Jr., Jose Nabanalan, Rachie Namingit, Conrado Panapan, Juliet Sarmiento, Salvador Tayaban, Tomas Towanna Jr. and Arsenio Tuguinay. Seven seats are at stake.
SK chairman contenders are Denmark Butic, Rheeze Gyver Kalahi and Gian Kenno Numbalin. SK kagawad candidates include Claire Marie Gano, Theo Mark Baliwang, Nayomi Ciara Bedey, Karlo Gullunan, Steve Kitong and Seve Andre Panapan. With seven seats also for grabs and only six are running, then the polls were reduced merely to a battle for placings.
Barangay council officials are largely expected to promote the well-being of villagers. Most villages of Ifugao are saddled with the problem of mounting poverty. Many are jobless. Delivery of basic services is generally inadequate. Often times, they are described as “frontliners” in the delivery of fundamental services to the people, most especially the poor.
In the real sense, incoming Poblacion East barangay council officials are confronted with the problems on health, economy and garbage disposal. The health care station is undermanned and ill-equipped. Livelihood ventures for unemployed women are lacking. The practice of open burning of garbage is prevalent. Liquor drinking and spitting of momma among the young and old residents are rampant.
As in the other 175 villages of Ifugao, barangay council officials here have to resort to “austere ways” to implement largely under-funded projects out of the Php 3.2 million budget for this year, resulting to “half-baked” endeavors.
Efforts and progress made so far in curbing the malnutrition problem in the province are hardly significant. Funds for feeding programs of barangay councils are insufficient. Higher budgetary allocations would be beneficial to reach children, especially those in marginalized, disadvantaged and vulnerable settings, where severe malnutrition has caused stunted and wasted children.
Coming in “well prepared for the job” is the dilemma for the next set of grassroots level officials in Ifugao. In theory, the Punong Barangay is the head of the executive branch of the barangay government. The Kagawad takes care of the legislative wing. If the voter only pays a little attention to this fact, if the voter takes up seriously issues at hand and if the voter considers the qualifications of the candidates rather than blood ties, surely that would be the best way.
It’s about voting intelligently this time around. It’s all about coming up with an enlightened choice on May 14.
About 1,400 folks are eligible to cast their votes and ultimately decide Poblacion East’s fate. Their polling precincts are centrally located at Lagawe Central School.
Clearly, an effective house-to-house campaigning strategy and high turnout of supportive and decided voters are factors to spell out the outcome of elections.‘
Voters in this context should have a “positive attitude” and “correct attitude” in electing their officials as a means of promoting the common good and not the interest of their family or clan. How to do this?
Check out and study the platform of governance of the candidates during the campaign period from May 4 to 12. Encourage the conduct of debates among the candidates to provide a venue to know them better. The holding of a Candidates’ Forum shall be deemed as essential.
Casting of votes is from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The manner to be used in the counting of votes is set in the manual mode.
Counting and canvassing of votes are conducted in a transparent manner and in the presence of the electoral board and the barangay board of canvassers. Election service is entrusted to public school teachers. They are entitled to honoraria, travel allowance and other benefits as may be granted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), at rates to be determined and approved by the Department of Budget and Management.
Proclamation of winning candidates takes place immediately after closing of polls.
The barangay is the basic unit of government in the Philippines. The chief executive is the punong barangay, who is popularly elected to a three-year term and may serve three consecutive terms. There are over 42,000 villages in the country.
The Punong Barangay, Sangguniang members and other barangay council officials (such as the barangay secretary, barangay treasurer, lupon tagapamayapa, barangay health worker, barangay nutrition scholar and tanod) receive honoraria. Overworked and overburdened by difficult economic times, underpaid barangay government officials heap the praises of successful programs, projects and activities and take the pains of being criticized for failed undertakings during their tenure.
The barangay and SK polls are supposed to be non-partisan in nature. Yet, the sad reality is that politicians are backing several candidates to buttress their own bids in 2019.
Since the formation of the barangay government by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos after the imposition of martial law in 1972, the barangay polls have been scuttled by moneyed politicians. And this time, many are not going to downplay the fact that a number of hopefuls are to engage in overspending for a position with a meager honorarium. We can get started to understand this “uncalled for practice” by observing the large-sized, countless tarpaulins and streamers of these candidates even brazenly posted at non-designated areas.
The COMELEC has imposed a number of prohibited acts in connection with the forthcoming electoral exercise. Foremost are the ban on guns and liquor. **By Anthony A. Araos
