The barangay election is supposed to be an exercise of democracy at the grassroots.
Perhaps, it is and perhaps it is here where our problems with Filipino-style democracy begins. Unfortunately, many of us are not even keen on participating in it. In the barangay where I am registered as a voter, everyone is running unopposed.
The official pay is about P30,000 a month for the barangay captain but the perks and the power that comes with it can be tempting. A barangay gets a share of the LGU budget. Some barangays are so rich like Bel Air in Makati, that they have run out of ideas on how to build new arches in their subdivision gates. But even the poorer barangays have access to LGU funds plus use of a barangay ambulance that can traverse the bus lane on EDSA.
Rotten Pinoy politics start at the barangay level. Some months ago, my colleague Cito Beltran who writes in the Op/Ed page, related a complaint that reached him about some barangay officials imposing a barangay tax on poultry owners for every day-old chick they bring into their farms. The barangay “tax” could be anywhere from P10,000 to P20,000 per delivery, cash before delivery.
I googled the item and found a news report about the National Bureau of Investigation filing graft and malversation charges against several local officials in Malay, before the Ombudsman for misusing funds from environmental fees collected from tourists from 2009 to 2017. Then there is this LGU that is requiring pig farms in their area to get fire extinguishers from their recommended supplier costing P1.2 million. Or no mayor’s permit. Pig shit is volatile enough to ignite.
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