By Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Diosdado Macapagal spent his vice presidency campaigning non-stop, because President Carlos P. Garcia wouldn’t give him a job. Back then, the basic unit of our government was the barrio, and Macapagal never hesitated to boast that he had visited nearly every barrio to shake hands with nearly every voter. To be sure, obsessive attention to voters, in retail and wholesale terms, is the mark of any successful politician. But Macapagal’s personal touch proved incapable of overcoming the challenge mounted by Ferdinand E. Marcos, who believed above all else in the ability of political machinery to overcome all odds.

Marcos renamed the barrio the “barangay,” and this latter-day rajah ensured that the barrio captain of old would become the barangay chairman of today, the petty “datu” on whom money is periodically showered by Malacañang. Marcos distrusted the traditional party machines and wanted to build personal ties between his supreme chieftainship, and the village chiefs he created and made dependent on his good graces.

It is no coincidence, then, that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo governs with a combination of her father’s retail obsession and Marcos’ wholesale penchant for bribing all opposition into submission. She roams the country with her father’s zeal and holds cash buffets in Malacañang in a truly Marcosian manner. At the apex of the patronage pyramid, she knows as well as her legionaries in the House of Representatives do, that the bedrock of their shared political machinery are barangay officials.

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By Joey A. Gabieta, Edwin Fernandez, Charlie Señase
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Two elected village chiefs were killed in separate incidents hours after voting ended in Monday’s barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) elections, according to reports culled by INQUIRER.net.

The latest reports have increased the number of cases of election-related violence to 50, police said.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report from Shariff Kabunsuan said that in Sultan Kudarat, Samsodin Lumbos, a newly proclaimed village chief of Balut, was shot to death by unidentified suspects late Monday.

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By Veronica Uy, Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Despite several incidents of election-related violence and failure of elections in some areas, the barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) elections were generally peaceful, poll and police officials said Monday.

Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said there were no major occurrences recorded in most of the 42,000 villages nationwide, as he called the elections the most peaceful in recent years.

“The 2007 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will probably go down in history as the most peaceful and widely participated electoral exercise in recent years,” said Razon.

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By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–At least 43 cases of election-related violent incidents were listed by the Philippine National Police, with at least 23 persons killed and 20 others wounded as of 9 a.m. Monday.

The updated tally showed that five of those killed were candidates for the village chief post while two were running as village councilors. Seven of those killed were incumbent village officials, according to the tally.

Meanwhile, four of those wounded were village chief candidates.

Chief Superintendent Silverio Alarcio, head of the Directorate for Operations, said this year’s village elections were less violent compared to the one in 2002, when his office listed a total of 159 cases.

Alarcio added however that the present number might still increase.

“This is because 30 percent of the cases in the 2002 elections happened on Election Day itself,” said Alarcio.

By Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–A Catholic prelate has appealed for more active participation in the upcoming barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataang (youth council) elections on October 29 as candidates’ campaigning ends Saturday.

In a statement, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Angel Lagdameo said that if the faithful could take interest in how their churches or parishes operate, they should similarly give the same attention to their villages.

Lagdameo has also asked the faithful to consciously participate in the affairs of the villages since it serves as a breeding ground for future leaders.

He stressed that the people should guard against partisanship in the elections to protect the village’s role in providing for the common good. Beverly Natividad