Manila: A plan by President Rodrigo Duterte to call off the October grass roots elections has drawn mixed reactions with one ally of the leader saying the postponement in the political exercise is necessary to edge out narco-politicians.

“I have no problem with the President’s plan to call off the barangay (village) elections in October. That is necessary because majority of village officials are involved in illegal drugs and these dirty politicians will only use the elections to give themselves a mantle of legitimacy with a mandate from the people,” House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said.

The Philippines has some 42,000 village chairpersons who ideally, should manage the day-to-day affairs of their community from settling local disputes among neighbours to providing health, sanitation and other government services.

Earlier, Duterte warned that if the October barangay elections would push through, many village officials with ties to the drug trade would likely get re-elected. The President said that instead of holding the polls, he just wanted to appoint village leaders who can really provide leadership to their community and not politicians who have ties with drug syndicates.

Village elections are held every three years in the country and while the conduct of grass roots polls is prescribed every three years under the country’s laws, there have been instances when elections were cancelled and previous officials were allowed to serve extended terms.

Alvarez said Duterte’s plan to appoint village leaders can be implemented through amendment of the Local Government Code so that such a move would not violate the constitution.

The Speaker said the necessary amendment can be proposed and tackled when Congress resumes session this coming May 2.

Duterte’s arch critic, Senator Leila de Lima, however, slammed the President’s proposal to appoint community leaders instead of electing them.

“As the basic political unit in the country, the barangay serves is the frontliner in delivering the basic and important services to people. It offers direct and immediate assistance and support to the community. Barangay officials play a crucial role in providing effective and accountable local governance,” she said.

The barangay is the smallest political unit and is next only to family.

“Appointing barangay officials, instead of electing them, goes against the principles of shielding them from partisan politics. That is one of the reasons why barangay elections are held separately from national and local elections,” she added.

De Lima, a former election lawyer, said she believes that members of the community should have a primary say on who deserves to hold positions in the barangay, as they are in the best position to gauge who can be most responsive to their needs.

De Lima likewise slammed the proposal to declare all barangay positions vacant as part of the administration’s so-called war on drug. She said she believes that the declaration also violates each official’s right to due process, which will pre-judge them through consultations with mayors.

“Those who would be removed and not reappointed may have that stigma of being involved in drugs. They have every right for a chance to clear their name before being removed from office,” she said.