By Mario B. Casayuran
Sen. Richard J. Gordon yesterday called on voters in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections next month not to vote those linked to the multi-billion peso illegal drugs trade.
Gordon, chairperson of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, issued the call after the filing of Certificates of Candidacy for the elections ended yesterday.
Barangay and SK officials serve the grassroots, with the barangay being the smallest political unit, hence the officials must be competent and not involved in illegal drugs and other illegal activities, Gordon said.
“Dapat ang magpapatakbo ng ating mga barangay ay competent at hindi sangkot sa mga illegal na gawain gaya ng droga.
Kaya dapat suriin natin ng husto ang ating mga kandidato para mapili natin ang ating mga dapat iboto,” he advised.
The elections will be held on May 14 after being postponed twice under the Duterte administration.
The Commission on Elections has set the election period from April 14 to May 21. The filing of CoCs was originally scheduled from April 14 to April 20 but was extended for one day yesterdayfollowing concerns raised by the National Youth Commission that the COCs filed were insufficient to fill up the positions available.
The campaign period will be from May 4 to 12.
The positions of barangay captain, seven kagawads or councilors, SK chairperson, and seven SK members will be up for grabs.
The country has 42,041 barangays as of Feb. 13.
