There is consensus to postpone Barangay, SK polls — Imee Marcos

Though there is no exact date yet, Senator Imee Marcos said Wednesday there seemed to be a consensus to postpone the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections scheduled in 2020.

“Mukhang lahat sang-ayon na i-postpone ang barangay at SK elections dahil hindi talaga maaari na 2020. Bale dalawang taon lang sila uupo, eleksyon na naman, wala naman silang nagawa so everybody agreed that there should be postponement,” Marcos, Senate electoral reforms committee chairperson, said after the hearing.

She said Minority Leader Franklin Drilon proposed during the hearing that the polls be conducted in 2021, or a year before the 2022 national elections.

On the other hand, Marcos and Senator Bong Go wanted the polls to be postponed until after the national elections.

“I-postpone na natin pagkatapos ng national dahil ang daming dapat gawin. Unang una, andyan ang diskusyon na recodification ng batas kasi marami tayong batas na sobrang luma na, ‘yung Omnibus Election Code e 1985 pa, wala pang automated, hindi sila magkasang-ayon ng ating automated law. Magulo so kailangang ayusin muna ‘yun,” she said.

Marcos said it would be better if the Barangay and SK elections will be held around January or February 2023.

“Gusto sana nila at least one year ang pagitan between elections at manual kasi ang barangay at SK elections kaya medyo bloody siya sa trabaho. So ‘yun nga, ang sabi ko May 2023, pero kung masyadong mahaba ‘yun siguro magtwaran na lang kami ni Sen Bong Go sa Oct 2022. Somewhere in the middle, baka January or February 2023,” she said.

She added there is still no decision whether the poll system to be used in the next elections is hybrid or fully automated.

“I am hopeful na, at this very early, everyone would submit their best ideas, open muna sa brainstorming so that we can get the very, very best combination of manual and automated,” she said. — RSJ, GMA News