• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Bacolod Lone District Rep. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez said he anticipates approval of the proposed legislation fixing the term of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials to five years, and postponing the BSK elections this November.
“It has already passed the House on second reading. I think it’s just a matter of time before we change the term of barangay officials from three terms to two terms, from three years to five years,” Benitez said.
Under House Bill No. 10971, barangay officials will be allowed to serve up to two consecutive five-year terms, while SK officials will be restricted to a single term.
“Wherever you go, the normal course of a timetable for a plan to be executed is not three years because three years is too fast, especially for barangays and frontliners; we are giving them more time to perform,” Benitez, also the House deputy speaker, said.
He said that should any barangay official underperform, commit misconduct, or cause disruption, existing mechanisms remain active to ensure accountability, including the filing of complaints directly with the Office of the Ombudsman or the town or city sanggunian. | TMD
