Pacquiao Supports Barangay Poll Postponement to Save Budget for Pandemic Response
Senator Manny Pacquiao supports the postponement of the barangay poll this December 2022 to save the budget for pandemic response.
Pacquiao, speaking at a news conference in Tarlac City, emphasized the need of deferring the barangay polls, which he highlighted will be held just seven months after Filipinos voted for the country’s future leaders. If the fights be conducted at the same time in 2022, Pacquiao believes the government would have to invest a lot of money.
“Unang una, mag-e-eleksyon tayo ngayong May 9. Magkano ang gagastusin ng gobyerno? Tapos mag-eeleksyon ulit tayo ng December, siguro mas malaki-laking pera ang gagastusin natin. Lalong lalaki pa ang gagastusin natin. Madadagdagdan lang ‘yung gastos natin,” the senator said.
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Pacquiao went on to say that the country hasn’t fully recovered from the pandemic’s devastating impacts. He went on to say that the country is still healing and that the P8 billion should be used to combat the epidemic, not for barangay elections.
“Nasa period pa tayo ng recovery. Hindi pa tayo nakaka-recover. Sayang naman iyong more or less P8 billion na gagastusin natin sa barangay elections,” he said.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will get a total budget allocation of P26.69 billion in preparation for the national and barangay elections in 2022. The budget for the barangay elections, according to Pacquaio, will go a long way toward providing monetary relief to Filipinos who have suffered the most as a result of the epidemic.
To postpone the barangay and Sanggunian Kabataan elections in December 2022, a modification to the election law is required. A measure in the House of Representatives has been introduced to push the election back until May 2024. The barangay election slated for May 2016 was already postponed twice before ultimately taking place in May 2018.
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