The Diocesan Electoral Board of Dumaguete is all set for the holding of the synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 23.
DEB Convenor Msgr. Julius Perpetuo Heruela gave the assurance on Friday following the Sept. 6 notice of the Commission on Elections that the period for the filing of Certificates of Candidacy for those seeking positions in the barangay and SK levels has been set from Sept. 23 to 30.
While talks are rife on the postponement of the barangay/SK polls to next year or even much later, there is no official announcement yet from the Comelec, thus the DEB still has to prepare for the electoral exercise, Monsignor Heruela said.
However, unlike the regular elections which need a lot of preparation, manpower and logistics and heavy involvement of the DEB, the barangay and SK elections do not have the same requirements for the Board, he added.
The role of the DEB, composed of various government agencies, the private sector and civil society organizations, is to conduct voters’ education to remind candidates and voters in the barangays to observe proper protocol and “vote with a conscience”.
It is, however, clear that at the barangay level, people tend to be “partisan” as regards their support for a particular candidate, considering family ties and other linkages, the priest noted.
What the DEB would do is to campaign for a peaceful and orderly elections although Msgr. Heruela admitted the likely possibility of “vote-buying” in the barangay level.
The DEB will convene at least once prior to the barangay and SK polls to discuss measures for a peaceful and orderly elections next month.
Members of the DEB include the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, the National Movement for Free Elections, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Department of Education. (With reports from Judy Flores Partlow/PNA)