MANILA – The Senate has unanimously approved a bill postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
With 21 affirmative votes, zero negative votes and no abstentions, the Senate approved on final reading Senate Bill No. 1043 seeking to postpone the barangay and SK polls from May 2020 to Dec. 5, 2022.
“Dahil sa postponement ng barangay at SK elections, matitipid ng gobyerno ang halagang P5 billion para sa halalan at pwedeng ilaan sa ibang ahensya na mas kailangan ng pondo,” said Senator Imee Marcos, who chairs the Senate Electoral Reforms Committee.
“Pwedeng ilaan ang pondo sa Department of Agriculture para ibili ng aning palay ng mga magsasaka sa gitna ng pagbagsak ng presyo ng palay. Maaari ring ilaan ang pondo sa Department of Education para sa K to 12 program nito,” she added.
Once enacted into law, there will be two elections in 2022: the presidential elections in May and the synchronized barangay and SK elections seven months after.
The measure, which was the first bill approved by the Senate in the current 18th Congress, initially proposed to have the barangay and SK elections to take place on second Monday of May 2023.
But during last week’s debates, the senators have agreed to the December 2022 schedule, finding the five-year extension of office on current village and youth leaders too long.
After the December 2022 local poll exercise, the subsequent synchronized barangay and SK elections shall be held on the first Monday of December 2025 and every three years thereafter. The elected officials shall assume office at noon of Jan. 1, 2023.
If signed into law, it will be the third time that the barangay and SK elections will be postponed under the Duterte administration./PN
