Comelec registrars asking Php30T to Php80T
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Dir. Maceda
...valid complaints |
Thousands of barangay officials in Camarines Sur are complaining against the requirement imposed by municipal election registrars on barangay councils to put up counterpart funds for the coming barangay elections of Php 30,000 each or more which are considered grossly excessive and violative of the guidelines issued by the CoMeLeC national office.
DILG Regional Director Blandino Maceda said that some municipal election registrars in the Bicol Region have even been requiring barangays to put up counterpart funds of Php 50,000.00 to Php 80,000.00 each, provoking howls of protests from barangay leaders who said they even have diffi culty funding routine barangay obligations.
Maceda said he will confer with COMELEC Regional Director Zacarias Zaragoza on the ticklish issue that could hamper the barangay elections to ensure that the guidelines are strictly followed.
Observers said some COMELEC registrars are out to earn money from the coming electoral exercise at the expense of the barangays.
Under COMELEC Minute Resolution No. 07-1218 dated July 17, 2007 issued by COMELEC Executive Director Pio Jose S. Joson, barangay councils are to shoulder only the transportation allowance of Php 300 and the honoraria of Php 500 or only a total of Php 800 for each Board of Election Teller (BET) or Board of Election Inspector (BEI).
With just three BETs in every precinct, the barangay has to spend only Php 2,400 per precinct.
Under the guidelines, the National Youth Council will foot the bill for the honoraria of the Sangguniang Kabataan registration committees and expenses for SK registration and information dissemination.
Counterpart of barangays for barangay election expenses is mandated by Law but the COMELEC will continue to assume the bulk of expenses and the burden on barangays should not be beyond what the COMELEC National Office specifies.
Under the same guidelines, COMELEC will assume the cost of printing of ballots and other election forms, supplies and other election paraphernalia, shipping of ballots, election forms and paraphernalia, barangay elections registration and information dissemination and the honoraria of Php 1,000 for each BET member.
The guideline also specified that for the election information dissemination drive COMELEC will assume 50%, the LGU 25% and the NYC 25% of the cost.
The information aspect appears to be what observers believe is the gray area in the guidelines since the amount has not been quantified and election registrars may use the item to justify their bloated counterpart requirement. But there is obviously no big amount involved since government media is amply carrying the information drive without cost.
Meanwhile, only nine days have been allotted for the campaign period starting from October 19 to 27, 2007.
Filing of certificates of candidacy starts on October 11 and ends on October 18 while the election period begins on September 29 and extends for 45 days until Novembre 13.
During the election period the gun ban will be enforced, no appointments or reassignments of employees would be made, public works projects cannot be awarded except for foreign-assisted projects and prosecution of administrative cases will be temporarily stopped.
