The 2010 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections have come and gone and we have a winner: Incumbent Jeremy S. Marquez defeats former Barangay Kagawad Carlo Bernabe to remain as Barangay Captain or Punong Barangay of Barangay BF, the biggest barangay in the country.
His new set of Barangay Kagawads are: Paolo Marquez, Serge Advincula, Richard Moreno, Alfred Lazatin, Sheryl Ortonio, Rocel Espino, and Noel Azarcon, with the latter three as new members. While this electoral exercise was not automated, the outcome was thankfully known the following day, with the winners already proclaimed by the COMELEC.
I don't know how the voter turnout was but when I arrived at the polling center in phase 3 at closing time, late voters were being turned away by the COMELEC officials. Unlike the national elections last May, this elections ended at the usual hour or 3 p.m., which many voters may have forgotten. But the place was packed with accredited watchers and other designated supporters.
I hope that just because the barangay captain and the mayor belong to rival camps, it will not be to the detriment of the people they have pledged to serve, resulting in political and administrative gridlock; instead, I hope that the rivalry will provide some healthy form of checks and balances in local governance, spurring both sides to give their best to their constituents.
If we do not pay as much attention to the local elections as much as we pay attention to the national elections, we should. After all, as some have rightly observed, we are electing public servants who may have an impact on our lives on a day-to-day basis the most. That alone should give us some pause.
His new set of Barangay Kagawads are: Paolo Marquez, Serge Advincula, Richard Moreno, Alfred Lazatin, Sheryl Ortonio, Rocel Espino, and Noel Azarcon, with the latter three as new members. While this electoral exercise was not automated, the outcome was thankfully known the following day, with the winners already proclaimed by the COMELEC.
I don't know how the voter turnout was but when I arrived at the polling center in phase 3 at closing time, late voters were being turned away by the COMELEC officials. Unlike the national elections last May, this elections ended at the usual hour or 3 p.m., which many voters may have forgotten. But the place was packed with accredited watchers and other designated supporters.
I hope that just because the barangay captain and the mayor belong to rival camps, it will not be to the detriment of the people they have pledged to serve, resulting in political and administrative gridlock; instead, I hope that the rivalry will provide some healthy form of checks and balances in local governance, spurring both sides to give their best to their constituents.
If we do not pay as much attention to the local elections as much as we pay attention to the national elections, we should. After all, as some have rightly observed, we are electing public servants who may have an impact on our lives on a day-to-day basis the most. That alone should give us some pause.
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