TAGBILARAN CITY, (PNA) — Top Bohol officials and a senator favorably endorsed to Commission on Elections the deferment of the barangay elections in the province slated on October 28, 2013.
Senator Nancy Binay, who was with her father Vice-President Jejomar Binay on Thursday to inspect Bohol situation, said that it would be proper to postpone the Barangay elections in Bohol which has a total of 1,109 barangays.
Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian of Valenzuela, who also accompanied the vie-president, is also favorable to the deferment of said polls as the province is still reeling from the impact of the 7.2 earthquake that devastated Bohol on Oct. 15 just like the situation in Zamboanga city, which was heavily attacked by the Moro National Liberation Front led by Nur Misuari who is now facing rebellion charges.
In the same gesture, Congressman Aris Aumetnado (2nd district) and Cong. Arthur Yap (3rd district) also said that it is noteworthy to postpone the election to a later date considering the dire need of the people of Bohol to rebuild from the ruins of the earthquake.
Rep. Rene Relampagos (first district) raised this concern during the meeting with President Benigno S. Aquino and Gov. Edgar Chatto on Wednesday during the president’s visit to get first hand information of the devastation. But the president told the meeting that it is up to the agency concerned to look after that.
The provincial board chaired by Vice-Gov. Concepcion Lim on Friday passed a Resolution requesting the Comelec to defer the said election to later date, said Provincial board member Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez.
The said Resolution was favorably sanctioned by Gov. Chatto and the Bohol solons, saying that a lot of would-be candidates failed to file their respective certificates of candidacy (COC) because of the earthquake.
Lopez cited the island of Cabilao, off Loon town his hometown, where a lot of would-be bet bets failed to file their COCs.
Many of the municipal officials also supported the proposal to delay the Barangay elections in Bohol.
They said that deferment of the election would bar the incumbent Barangay and municipal officials to take advantage of the calamity fund following the placing of the entire province under the state of calamity by way of a provincial Resolution approved Oct. 15 in an emergency session.