House OKs postponement of barangay, SK polls to October 2018 on 2nd reading

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on second reading the bill postponing the May 2018 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections to the second Monday of October 2018.

Via viva voce voting, the chamber approved House Bill 7378, which mandates the scheduled May 14, 2018 Barangay and SK Elections to be reset to October 8, 2018.

The bill also provides that subsequent elections will be held on the second Monday of October 2021 and every three years thereafter.

All incumbent barangay officials will also be on hold-over positions until their successors have been duly elected.

During the period of sponsorships and debates on the bill, ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio questioned the necessity of postponing the barangay elections anew.

He said during the only committee hearing conducted for the bill on Monday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it is "100 percent" prepared to hold the elections on its original schedule this May.

"Hindi ba napakalinaw naman sa kaisa-isang hearing na nilunsad ng inyong komite... na 100 percent handang-handa sila na ituloy ang barangay and SK elections ngayong Mayo?" Tinio said.

"Nagastos na nila 'yung malaking bahagi ng mahigit na P5 billion na halagang nilaan para sa eleksyon," he pointed out.

But House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms chairman Sherwin Tugna, who sponsored the bill in the plenary, said the Comelec mentioned it is only "80 percent" ready for the May elections.

"'Yung P5 billion, hindi naman ito expenses na napunta na sa waste, ito ay na-print na na balota na idineliver lang naman doon sa mga lugar na malapit kung saan gaganapin ang halalan," he said.

Tinio also raised the possibility that holding the barangay elections in October this year will interfere with the preparations of the Comelec for the May 2019 midterm elections.

"Sa halip na makatulong sa Comelec, ang postponement na ito ay makakagulo pa nga sa trabaho niya dahil hindi lang naman barangay elections ang pinaghahandaan ng Comelec kundi 'yung parating na national and local elections sa 2019," he said.

Tugna, in response, said this was not what was discussed about during the committee hearing.

"Hindi naman nasabi 'yung salitang makakagulo. Ang nagamit na salita roon ay mas magiging abala sila dahil dalawa na yung gagawin nila," he said.

Tinio pointed out that in postponing the elections possibly for a third time, the lawmakers are robbing the people of their chance to elect their barangay leaders.

"Sa bawat panahon na ginagawa yan ng Kongreso, inaagawan ng mga mambabatas ang mga mamamayan ng kanilang karapatan na pumili ng kanilang mga pinuno," he said.

"Mahiya na tayo sa taumbayan na gusto nila ng eleksyon. Pahalagahan natin at dinggin natin ang panawagan ng taumbayan, ituloy ang eleksyong ito."

But Tugna said postponing the barangay and SK elections to a later date would actually be beneficial especially if in case a plebiscite will also be held to approve the proposed federal charter.

"It will save the government of conducting a barangay and SK elections and a plebiscite on two different occasions," he said.

Following its approval on second reading, the bill will only have to be approved on third and final reading before it is submitted to the Senate for their own deliberations and approval.

Should the proposed October 2018 elections be approved into law, 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 and October 2017. — RSJ/KBK, GMA News