THE barangay (village) elections are coming up on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. As a historian, I have observed how the barangay has evolved — not necessarily for the better — over the past few decades.

The most important observation is that there has been a frantic onrush of aspirants elbowing each other for a seat as "punong barangay" (village captain) or one of the "kagawad" (councilors). The same is true for their youth counterpart, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or youth council).

Premium + Digital Edition

Ad-free access


P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
  • Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
  • Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)

TRY FREE FOR 14 DAYS
See details
See details