Senate, House agree to postpone Barangay and SK elections next year
The two chambers of the Congress of the Philippines have come to an agreement to postpone the synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to 2017.
The elections was supposedly set on the original schedule of October 31, 2016.
A solon said the Senate and the Lower House agreed to move the Barangay elections to October 23, 2017.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said earlier they considered the idea of postponing the Barangay and SK elections, since it may cause “election fatigue” following the conduct of national and local elections in May 9.
On Tuesday, Aug. 30, the members of the Congress held the caucus at the House.
After the session, Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said a bill postponing the upcoming elections to next year will be filed. A similar measure will be filed by the Senate as well.
“Dapat resolution lang [ang ipa-file] but since the Senate is filing a bill, we’ll file a bill also with the aim in view of avoiding a bicameral conference committee,” he said.
Originally, the Senate, according to Fariñas wanted to hold the Barangay and SK polls on the last Monday of October next year. Unfortunately, the senators, led by committee on suffrage chairperson Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, agreed to the proposal of the House that the elections will be conducted on October 23.
According to the members of the Senate, October 30 will be too close to All Saints’ Day on November 1.
Fariñas expects a speedy approval of the bill on the postponement of Barangay and SK polls.
The plan was referred to the committee on suffrage and electoral reforms during Tuesday’s session.
The lawmaker said the measure could be approved on second reading at the House either on September 5 or 6, and on third and final reading on September 12, if proper action will be given by the members of the Lower Chamber.
President Rodrigo Duterte has also expressed his support for the possible postponement of polls because of the fear that “drug money” would be used to fund campaigns of the candidates in the barangay level.
The Comelec, yesterday, has already suspended the printing of ballots done by the National Printing Office for the Barangay and SK elections in line with Duterte and Congress’ agreement to move it to year 2017.
