Solon seeks postponement of barangay, SK polls anew

A lawmaker from the House of Representatives is proposing to postpone anew the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections this May to give Congress more time to determine the proper structure of the government when it transitions into a federal system.

In an interview at Patin-ay town in Agusan Del Sur on Thursday, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said he would want a "no-election" scenario in May.

He explained that the schedule is too cramped if the elections will be held simultaneously with the plebiscite for the proposed Federal Constitution.

"No-el kasi masyado nang masikip ang Mayo, kailangan naming mabuo yung Konstitusyon para magkaroon ng plebisito. Papaano namin magagawa yun in two months? Hindi namin kaya. Actually one month na lang kasi Pebrero na rin ngayon so isang buwan na lang ang kailangan," Umali told reporters.

"So ako ang aking tinutulak ay yung Barangay at SK elections ay ipagpaliban natin para maka-concentrate kami doon sa pagbabalangkas ng magandang porma ng gobyerno-federal in support of President Digong [Rodrigo Duterte] sa campaign promise at saka yung Charter Change mismo," he added.

The Duterte administration has been pushing for a shift to a federal form of government as a means to address issues particularly in strife-torn Mindanao.

In an earlier television interview, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said that if Congress convenes as a constituent assembly to propose amendments in the Constitution by January, the proposed new federal charter may be submitted for a referendum simultaneously with the scheduled Barangay and SK elections this May.

However, no constituent assembly has so far been convened, as Congress leaders are still holding discussions on the government structure and other constitutional provisions that would be employed under the federal government setup.

Umali, a member of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, noted that it was Congress who would decide if the Barangay and SK elections this May will push through or re-scheduled.

"Nasa Kongreso yun, hindi po sa ehekutibo. Kami po ang magpapasa ng batas," he said.

"Nag-file na po ako ng bill para ipagpaliban yung barangay election. Pag yun ay sinusugan ng aming mga kasama at alam mo naman sa Kongreso may supermajority ay palagay ko ay mangyayari yun," he added.

Umali said there is a high probability that the Barangay and SK elections will be postponed this May.

"Siyempre, mag-uusap din kami ng Senado kasi bicameral kami, pero palagay ko naman ay maiintindihan ng mga kasamahan ko na magko-con-ass kami," he said.

"Papaano kami makakapagtrabaho kung ang iniisip namin ay yung eleksyon di ba? So, ipaliliwanag namin yan at ako ay naniniwala na makukumbinsi natin sila," he added.

Should Umali's statements materialize, it would be the third time that the Barangay and SK elections would be moved to a later date, after it has been previously postponed from October 2016 to October 2017. — BAP, GMA News