The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Bacolod is still waiting for the guidelines from the national office on what to do with the barangay officials who failed to submit their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (Soce) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office.

Ma. Joy Maredith Madayag, head of DILG-Bacolod, said yesterday she already received the lists of the newly-elected barangay officials who failed to submit their SOCE after the recent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.

“They can assume their posts because we do not have the advice to disallow them. We will wait for the official guidelines from the national office, but for now they can start to work,” she said.

The newly-elected barangay officials assumed their posts on June 30.

Madayag said the newly-elected barangay officials should do their jobs to serve their constituents.

City Election Registrar Mavil Majarucon-Sia had earlier said about two barangay kagawads and 45 other SK kagawads failed to submit their Soce.

Majarucon-Sia said that only 78 percent of more than 2,300 candidates, both winners and losers, have met the June 13 deadline for the submission of Soce.

“Of about 500 candidates who failed to submit their Soce, two are newly-elected kagawads of Barangays 41 and Punta Taytay while 45 are newly elected SK councilors from various barangays in Bacolod,” she added. (MAP/SunStar Bacolod)