COTABATO CITY: A total of 19 candidates for barangay (village) chairman out of the 37 barangay here are assured of a new mandate after they are declared unopposed by the local Commission on Elections (Comelec). Some political observers say this is first in the history of the city. Most of the city’s villages were once engaged in intense rivalry among big families in their barangay whose registered voters were divided by alliances premised on kinship, or fear of rival clans. Aldrin Gonzalez, information officer of Police Regional Office-12 on Thursday said Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales, PRO-12 director, was happy with the unopposed candidacy of 19 aspirants saying it is a sign of unity among barangay folk.

Source: Manila Times May 03, 2018 16:07 UTC