‘Multi term’ brgy. chiefs are disqualified, Comelec warns on eve of polls

Winning candidates in Monday’s synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will be automatically disqualified if they have already served three terms, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on the eve of the polls. In a resolution issued on Saturday but released to the media only on Sunday, the poll body warned that it would file disqualification cases against barangay candidates whose names are on a list of "multiple termers" given to the poll body by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). Any winning candidate included in the list submitted by the DILG who has served three terms will be disqualified immediately, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said. “Sec. 2 of Republic Act 9164, or the Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections Act — the law governing the synchronized barangay and SK elections — says that no elected village official can serve for more than three terms in the same position," Jimenez said. Under Resolution 9077, the resolution issued on Saturday, the Comelec’s law department is authorized to file a petition to disqualify candidates who are “multiple termers" — or those who have served for three or more consecutive terms in office.

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo announced that there are 4,433 barangay chairmen nationwide who are no longer eligible to run in the polls because “they are already over the term limit." The list of disqualified barangay chairmen from the DILG has been distributed to all election officers across the country on Saturday for validation. Any votes for “multiple termer" candidates will be considered “stray votes," the Comelec said, and in cases where multiple termers win, the candidate with the next highest votes will be proclaimed the winner. Charges of material representation will also be filed against the multi termers for violating Sec. 262 of the Omnibus Election Code. Criminal charges of perjury and prolonging performance of duties and powers will also be filed against these multi termer candidates. Both the election and criminal offenses carry a penalty of one to six years of imprisonment as well as removal of right to get elected in public office and to vote. Almost 100% delivered Meanwhile, the Comelec said that the delivery of election paraphernalia is already close to 100 percent. Jimenez said that some paraphernalia have already arrived at the provincial level but the forwarding company is having a hard time delivering the paraphernalia to the city or municipal treasurers’ office. The poll body is now preparing contingency plans for some election supplies that have not yet arrived. “We are very optimistic that we could conduct an election nationwide even in other areas affected by the typhoon Juan," he said in an interview with GMANews.TV on Sunday. - DM/KBK, GMANews.TV