The ‘Yes’ votes win a July 29 plebiscite aiming to merge and rename barangays in Bacoor City in Cavite.

More than 30,000 individuals participated in the vote, with 29,285 (90.44%) voting yes to the plebiscite, while 2,994 voted no across 22 polling places in the locality.

Commission on Elections Chairman George Erwin Garcia, together with other members of the Comelec en banc and senior officials, personally visited a number of polling stations to monitor the events.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Aimee Ferolino and Cavite Provincial Election Officer Mico Morales-Castro manned the voting proceedings in Bacoor City Jail, in which 70 persons deprived of liberty cast votes for their respective villages.

Due to the outcome, 73 barangays will be reduced to 47 villages through City Ordinance no. 275-2023 as Bacoor City Mayor Edwin “Strike” Revilla aimed for the merging and renaming of certain villages to “ensure their economic growth and development.”

In a press briefer with Comelec officials, Revilla said the merging of villages will provide bigger budgets for the small barangays. He cited as an example the small barangays with a budget payment of only P500 a month for barangay tanod (watchmen). A bigger budget would thus benefit barangay staff.

The victory of Yes votes also means 44 barangays will be combined into 18, while five others will be renamed due to the merging of villages. Local Cavite officials earlier noted the 44 barangays’ annual income could increase – from P3.1 to P10.2 million to around P9.2 million to P25 million, should the merging occur. – Rappler.com