Philippine barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, 2010
Encyclopedia
Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections were held on October 25, 2010 in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. The electorate elected in nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....

 elections, the Barangay chairman also known as the Punong Barangay and members of the Sangguniang Barangay
Sangguniang Barangay
The Sangguniang Barangay is the legislative body of barangay governments in the Philippines. The term is coined from the Tagalog words "sanggunian" and "baranggay" which means "barangay advisory council". It passes ordinances and resolutions for the effective administration of the barangay...

(Village council) for voters aged 18 and above. While voters aged 15 to 17 voted for the chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan
Sangguniang Kabataan
The Sangguniang Kabataan is the governing body in every chapter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan . Each barangay in the Philippines is mandated by law to have its own chapter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan, aging from 15 to 18 years old who resides in their respective barangays for at least 6months...

(Youth village council) and members of the Katipunan ng mga Kabataan. Due to funding issues, the Commission on Elections
Commission on Elections (Philippines)
The Commission on Elections, or COMELEC, is one of the three constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections, initiatives, referendums, and recalls....

 opted to use the manual voting system instead of the automated elections as was done in the last 2010 national elections
Philippine general election, 2010
Elections for all positions in the Philippines above the barangay were held on Monday, May 10, 2010. The elected president will become the 15th President of the Philippines, succeeding President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is barred from seeking re-election due to term restrictions...

.

Background

Republic Act No. 9340 mandates that synchronized elections for the Barangay and SK elections to be held on the last Monday of October after three years. There are 630,375 positions to be decided on Election Day in 42,095 barangays (Villages) across the Philippines. However, the elections have been postponed in several areas due to damage caused by Typhoon Megi (Juan)
Typhoon Megi (2010)
Typhoon Megi was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record, attaining the lowest atmospheric pressure since Vanessa in 1984 and the highest 10-minute sustained winds since Bess in 1982 in the northwestern Pacific Ocean...

 while in the provinces of Isabela
Isabela
-Places:* Isabela, Puerto Rico* Isabela Island of the Galápagos Islands* La Isabela in the Dominican Republic, first settlement of Columbus in the New World* Isabela , Philippines* Isabela City, Basilan, Philippines...

, Cagayan
Cagayan
Cagayan , the "Land of Smiling Beauty", is a province of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon. Cagayan also includes the Babuyan Islands to the north. The province borders Ilocos Norte...

 and Kalinga
Kalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...

 where voting will start early from 6 AM to 2 PM instead of the normal voting hours from 7 AM to 3 PM.

The Commission on Elections
Commission on Elections (Philippines)
The Commission on Elections, or COMELEC, is one of the three constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections, initiatives, referendums, and recalls....

 has delivered the needed election paraphernalia to the voting areas on October 24, 2010, although there are areas were the materials were delivered late. The Philippine National Police
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...

 (PNP) has heightened security in the lead-up to the polls and has placed it on full alert. Cases of election-related violence has reduced since 2007, with 29 incidents recorded since the nationwide gun ban on September 25, 2010.

Proposal to abolish the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan

Due to spending costs, there are proposals in the Senate
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...

 to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan
Sangguniang Kabataan
The Sangguniang Kabataan is the governing body in every chapter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan . Each barangay in the Philippines is mandated by law to have its own chapter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan, aging from 15 to 18 years old who resides in their respective barangays for at least 6months...

 (SK). Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan Ponce Enrile is a Filipino politician. As a protege of President Ferdinand Marcos, he served as Justice Secretary and then Defense Secretary under the Marcos regime. He later became one of the leaders of the 1986 People Power Movement that drove Marcos from power...

 and Senator Edgardo Angara
Edgardo Angara
Edgardo Javier Angara is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1993-1995. He is currently serving his fourth term in the Senate which ends in 2013.-Early life and career:...

 are proposing to replace SK with youth representatives to be elected in provincial
Sangguniang Panlalawigan
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan is the legislature of all provinces in the Philippines. It passes ordinances and resolutions for the effective administration of the province...

, city
Sangguniang Panlungsod
The Sangguniang Panlungsod is the local legislative branch of city governments in the Philippines. The term is coined from the Tagalog words "sanggunian" and "lungsod" which means "city council". It passes ordinances and resolutions for the administration of the city. Its powers are defined by the...

 and municipal board
Sangguniang Bayan
The Sangguniang Bayan is the legislature of municipal governments in the Philippines. It passes ordinances and resolutions for the effective administration of the municipality...

s. Enrile also proposed to abolish the Barangay system with mayors appointing leaders in the respective barangays instead.

Candidates

The Department of Interior and Local Government has issued a list of officials who have served multiple-terms which prohibited under the law, more commonly known as "multiple termers". Under COMELEC Resolution No. 9077, the Barangay Boards of Canvassers (BBOC) will suspend the proclamation of these candidates based on the list given. The COMELEC says that it will file charges of election disqualification and criminal charges if a candidate is proven as a multiple-termer. There are currently 4,433 barangay officials prohibited from running in the election and can only serve for three consecutive terms.

Election day

Elections were generally peaceful although there were reports of vote buying, ballot snatching and presence of armed groups
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...

 of candidates notably in Abra
Abra
- Places :* Abra, Burkina Faso* Abra, Côte d'Ivoire* Abra , a province of the Philippines* Abra River, in the Philippines* El Abra, an archaeological excavation site in Colombia* Abra, Lebanon, a municipality of Lebanon- Other uses :...

 and Antipolo City
Antipolo City
Antipolo is a city in the Philippines located in the province of Rizal; about 25 kilometers east of Manila. It is the largest city in the Calabarzon Region in terms of population...

. The Department of Education
Department of Education (Philippines)
The Department of Education , is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the management and governing of the Philippine system of basic education. It is the chief formulator of Philippine educational policy and is responsible for the Philippine primary and secondary...

 has suspended classes in all public elementary and high schools on October 26 to give teachers who served as Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) in the elections a rest day.

President Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III , also known as Noynoy Aquino or PNoy, is a Filipino politician who has been the 15th and current President of the Philippines since June 2010....

 was disappointed at the Commission on Elections on the delays in the deliveries of election paraphernalia before the polls were opened. He told the media in a press conference after voting in his home province of Tarlac
Tarlac
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west...

 this was a "simple undertaking" than the automated elections in May 2010. However, he asked people to come out and vote still in the elections.

Postponement of elections

Elections were postponed in 1,732 barangays due to the late delivery of election materials and ballot box
Ballot box
A ballot box is a temporarily sealed container, usually square box though sometimes a tamper resistant bag, with a narrow slot in the top sufficient to accept a ballot paper in an election but which prevents anyone from accessing the votes cast until the close of the voting period...

es. The barangays involved are in the provinces of Masbate
Masbate
Masbate is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. Its capital is Masbate City and consists of three major islands: Masbate, Ticao and Burias.-History:...

, Albay
Albay
Albay is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Legazpi City and the province borders Camarines Sur to the north and Sorsogon to the south. Also to the northeast is Lagonoy Gulf....

, Catanduanes
Catanduanes
Catanduanes is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel. As of 2007, the population of the province is 232,757 people.-Etymology:"Isla de Cobos" was Catanduanes' first...

, Sorsogon
Sorsogon
Sorsogon is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region; it is the southernmost province in Luzon and is subdivided into fourteen municipalities and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City and borders the province of Albay to the north...

, Pangasinan
Pangasinan
Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...

, Isabela
Isabela
-Places:* Isabela, Puerto Rico* Isabela Island of the Galápagos Islands* La Isabela in the Dominican Republic, first settlement of Columbus in the New World* Isabela , Philippines* Isabela City, Basilan, Philippines...

, Cagayan
Cagayan
Cagayan , the "Land of Smiling Beauty", is a province of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon. Cagayan also includes the Babuyan Islands to the north. The province borders Ilocos Norte...

, Tarlac
Tarlac
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west...

, Capiz
Capiz
Capiz is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Roxas City and is located at the northeastern portion of Panay Island, bordering Aklan and Antique to the west, and Iloilo to the south. Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea to the north...

 and Aklan
Aklan
Aklan is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas. Its capital is Kalibo. It is located at the northwest portion of Panay Island, bordering Antique Province to the southwest, and Capiz Province to the east...

. Failure of elections were declared as well in 23 barangays in Marawi City because election harassment and failure of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) not showing up at the polling precincts. Also failure of election were declared in two barangays in Sultan Kudarat due to poll violence.

Pursuant to COMELEC Resolution No. 9078 issued on October 24, 2010, the elections will be held instead on October 26 or October 27 if the election materials will not be delivered by noon time on Election Day.

Election-related violence

Election-related violence incidents (ERVIs) have increased to 47 from 29, where 32 people have been killed as a result. This has reduced the number of cases from 67 in the last elections in 2007.

External links

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