MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/21 Oct.) — A total of 102 candidates are running for punong barangay or barangay chair in the elections on Monday, October 28, based on the list provided by the city election office.
The same list showed that 929 individuals are vying for 322seats for barangay councilors.
Both Barangays Poblacion 7 and Laguitas have five candidates for punong barangay, while Barangay 11 has four contenders.
The chairs of Poblacion 1, 3, 7 and 9, Laguitas, Bangcud, Caburacanan, Kulaman and St. Peter can no longer run as they are already on their third successive terms.
In these areas the race is between two rival council members.
In other barangays the incumbent chairs are being challenged by their councilors or former village officials.
In Barangay San Jose, for example, incumbent barangay chair Ramon Jaculbe is challenged by former barangay chair Bebina M. Ke-e.
In Kalasungay, one of the earliest settlements in Malaybalay, the fight is between two members from the Bukidnon tribe – the incumbent barangay chair and a certified public accountant.
Other incumbent village chairs facing lone opponents are those of Poblacion 2, Can-ayan, Kalasungay, Simaya, Capitan Anghel, Managok, Sto. Nino, Cabangahan, Apo Macote, Sinanglanan, Poblacion 6, Violeta, Miglamin, Mapayag, Poblacion 4, Silae, and Imbayao.
Nine candidates for barangay chairs are running unopposed. They are from Patpat, St. Peter, Manalog, Kibalabag, Poblacion 8, Linabo, Magsaysay, Mapulo, and Aglayan.
It is a three-cornered fight in 11 barangays, namely, Poblacion 1 and 10, Bangcud, Busdi, Caburacanan, Casisang, Dalwangan, Maligaya, San Martin, Sumpong, and Zamboanguita.
Casisang is the barangay with the highest number of voters owing to the presence of several subdivisions.
Police meanwhile have yet to announce if there are villages in the city that are considered “areas of concern.”
In the 2010 elections, 11 barangays were considered areas of concern. These were mostly in the Upper Pulangi area. (Walter I. Balane/MindaNews)
