SAN FERNANDO, La Union – Barangay officials who had been in office for three consecutive terms are no longer qualified to run for the same position in the coming barangay polls, according to the Department of Interior and Local Government.

DILG Provincial Director Trigidia Colisao said a Department Advisory received by her office, said this was explicitly provided in Section 2 of Republic Act. 9164, entitled: An Act providing for Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

This section states in part: “No barangay elective official shall serve for more than three consecutive terms for the same position”.
The provision however covers only barangay officials who were first elected in 1994 and were reelected for two more terms after that.

Colisao issued the clarification, saying this was contained in Department Advisory dated August 7, 2007 issued by the Office of DILG Undersecretary Austere A. Panadero.

Voluntary renunciation of office for any length of time, she said, shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of service for the full term which the elective official was elected.

Colisao said all municipal local government officials were given copies of the department advisory for dissemination to their respective barangay officials and others concerned.

Elaborating on the advisory, the DILG provincial head explained that punong barangays (chairman) or sangguniang barangays (councilmen) elected in 1994 and were also elected to the same position during the 1997 and 2002 barangay elections are no longer eligible to run for the same posts on October 2007.

There is no prohibition however for third-term barangay officials if they run for a different position.

Unless postponed by an act of Congress, the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will push through as scheduled on October 29 of this year. (PNA)