Non-partisan

WITH A LITTLE less than two weeks to go, we are in for another circus—this time it would be of the barangay variety. As it was with its “big brother”, the barangay elections slated on October 28 is also certain to entertain us, send us reeling into laughter and we would still definitely find out for ourselves that after the voting and counting, the joke may still be on us.

The barangay elections are supposed to be non-partisan. But from all indications, they are nothing but. Local political leaders—both those in power and those who want to regain power—have put up their own candidates. After all, some observers have analyzed that the battle for 2016 begins in this year’s barangay elections.

Though election laws tabbed the barangay elections as a non-partisan activity, this does not stop powerful politicians from anointing their respective bets, albeit they do this stealthily. For after all, local officials know that control of their barangays mean control of their cities or municipalities. It has then become a sad refrain that even the most basic political unit of our country has also become too politicized.

The framers of the local government code intended the barangays to be insulated from politics and influence of higher elected officials but as the sordid state of politics in this country show, nothing is beyond politicization. Everything boils down to building political power bases and influence with moist eyes cast toward the next elections.

However, the non-partisanship clause cut both ways. As there are power brokers who want to have their choice candidates seated in barangay halls, there are also candidates who queue for blessings of local powers-that-be. Apparently, they might have learned the lesson they may need powerful backers to win in the barangay elections; the fact that this is against the law notwithstanding. Yet along with the hopes of these candidates winning is the very fact that they would also be heavily indebted to those who helped them win.

Hopefully, voters would be wiser this time around. They may end up selecting the best of the lot and end up having a barangay chairperson that would really serve them above vested interests and political influences. But this can only be done if the voters would choose with their heads and not with their palms.