By Leonardo Micua 

 

IT will no longer surprise many of us if the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) proceed on December 1 as scheduled.

The announcement from the Commission on Elections that it is resuming the registration of new voters for the BSKE in August after postponing it in July more or less fortifies our faith that the BSKE will be held in December this year, not later.

What can prevent the holding of these elections is if the bill ratified by the bicameral committee of Congress, known as the Enrolled Bill, postponing the polls to 2026 and extending the term of Barangay and SK officials by one year, is signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

That is assuming that the Enrolled Bill was submitted to the Office of the President before the 19th Congress adjourned its session.  Granting that the Enrolled Bill was submitted on time, PBBM will unlikely sign it into law without the benefit of a thorough study, and if he will eventually sign, he has only until July 31 this year to do it.

On the other hand, if the President chooses to veto the bill, it will dash the hope of barangay officials to get a bonus of one more year from their three-year term without facing another costly election.

Those about to end their third term in office, of course, have a bias for term extension and are praying that the BSKE be reset in 2026.

Another option that could be taken by the President is for him not to do anything on the submitted Enrolled Bill until July 31 this year, at which time the Enrolled Bill will already lapse into law.

I am sure President Marcos is carefully weighing his actions relative to this contentious issue in the interest of the nation.

People I’ve talked to, not only from Dagupan but also other parts of Pangasinan, believe that it would be for the good of all if the BSKEs election were held on December 1.

Some said they want the BSKE this year to get rid of incumbent barangay officials who took advantage of their position and were short on performance.

Only those who did not do well during their term are afraid to face an election a few months from now. Those who performed exceptionally well are ready at any time to seek a fresh mandate from their constituents.

The time of reckoning is just a few months away.

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It is almost certain that the bones retrieved from the depths of the Taal Lake in Laurel, Batangas by scuba divers from the Philippine Coast Guard were those of the 34 missing sabungeros.

So, whistle-blower Julie Patidongan was not spreading lies after all when he surfaced, turned his back against the potential suspects and squealed on where the bodies of the victims could be found.

Now that the bones of the supposed victims had been found at an unlikely place, it would only be a matter of time before the perpetrators and the masterminds, whoever they are, are identified and arrested. 

The bones are what we can call the smoking gun in the case. Without them, the body of the crime in this particular case could never be proven.

Through these skeletal remains, we hope the authorities, such as the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation, can finally solve the jigsaw puzzle on the missing sabungeros. 

The search for more human bones by the OCG is continuing despite treacherous conditions to make sure that the culprits are brought to justice. 

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Proliferation of fake PWD cards is now hurting businessmen in Dagupan and Pangasinan.

Certain groups are reportedly making a killing by mass-producing the fake PWD cards, making exact replicas of those issued by LGUs to their constituents, for sale to anyone who wants them.

Many are reportedly buying the fake PWD cards just for a chance to get a 20% discount in restaurants and public transportation, among others.

That is where businessmen are losing millions of pesos. There are too many PWD cards being presented even by healthy and normal-looking persons.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office of Dagupan was advised by the Sanggunian to recall all issued PWD cards to be replaced with cards that have QR codes that cannot be copied even by expert forgers.

Good suggestion to ferret out the fakes.

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