PMP senatorial bet’s proposal to defer barangay polls gets support

from The Daily Tribune
http://www.tribune.net.ph/metro/20100227met5.html 

The 400,000-strong Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas has thrown its full support to a measure filed by Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) senatorial candidate Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza seeking to defer the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October so that funds intended for the local polls can be used in mitigating the effects of El Niño.
The group’s national president, Ricojudge “RJ” Echiverri, said the move by Congress to postpone this year’s local polls “is most welcome and timely,” explaining the threats posed by El Niño to the economy should be dealt with more seriously.
“It (El Niño) is a calamity of grand scale. We can forego the barangay elections so that government from the president down to the least barangay official will have more time and resources to help the public cope with the long dry spell. Unless we all do our share, we will be facing one of the worst tragedies ever,” Echiverri, son of Caloocan City Mayor Recom Echiverri, stressed.
For his part, Liga national director Alvin Feliciano said he, Echiverri and the entire organization believe in the wisdom of Agusan del Sur Rep. “Ompong” Plaza in filing House Joint Resolution 56 that calls on Congress to move the date of the local elections this year to October 2011.
“In fact, we even went to Davao City to ask House Speaker Prospero Nograles to defer the same. Cong. Plaza’s measure is supported by the 42,000 barangay captains and the more than 400,000 barangay councilors and other officials,” Feliciano said.
He explained unlike in the past, the Liga now also counts as members the country’s barangay councilors, secretaries, treasurers and others.
“Our total strength, it is safe to assume, is around 400,000. I can’t speak for other groups but I believe they will similarly support this move,” Feliciano added.
Plaza earlier had filed Resolution 56 purportedly seeking to realign needed funds allotted in the 2010 General Appropriations Act for the October barangay polls to government’s El Niño mitigation efforts.
“This is No-el (no elections) to El Niño. El Niño is here and its effects will be more devastating than typhoons ‘Ondoy’ and ‘Pepeng’ combined. We are facing serious risks here. There is an imminent food crisis. So, this is actually a choice between food or elections. This is what I would like the people to know,” the opposition lawmaker stressed.
Citing government estimates, Plaza said the El Niño will cause damages from P10 billion to P20 billion if not properly addressed. The P1.7 billion funds from the Department of Agriculture, he pointed out, will not suffice.
“Holding the barangay elections now will spawn additional burdens to our already suffering people. Many are still reeling from Ondoy and Pepeng. Elections create temporary inflation. We cannot allow our people to suffer from high prices of foods that are already scarce due to El Niño. This is a double whammy,” Plaza further explained.
The El Niño is an abnormal weather pattern caused by the warming of the Pacific Ocean. It is characterized by climatic aberrations around the world-warming in South America, torrential rains in North America, and drought in Southeast Asia and Australia. This phenomenon occurs every two to seven years.