Senate, House agree to postpone Barangay and SK polls to 2017

The Senate and the House of Representatives have agreed to reset the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to 2017.

Both chambers agreed to move the Barangay and SK elections from the scheduled October 31, 2016 to October 23, 2017.

During the caucus held at the House Tuesday, Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said they will file a bill postponing the upcoming elections to next year. The Senate will file a similar measure 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.

Fariñas said the Senate originally wanted to hold the Barangay and SK polls on the last Monday of October 2017 but the senators, led by committee on suffrage chairperson Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, agreed to the House’s proposal for the elections to be conducted on October 23 since the October 30 will be too close to All Saints’ Day.

He said he expects the bill on the postponement of Barangay and SK polls to be approved swiftly following its referral to the committee on suffrage and electoral reforms during Tuesday’s session.

Fariñas 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.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) earlier said it is mulling the idea of moving for the postponement of the Barangay and SK elections, noting that it may cause "election fatigue" as the country had its national and local elections in May.

President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed support for the postponement due to fears that "drug money" would be used to fund campaigns.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, meanwhile, said the Barangay and SK polls would have to be deferred to allow the President to appoint government officials and reorganize the bureaucracy.

The Omnibus Election Code prohibits the appointing authority from appointing new employees, creating new positions, promoting employees, and giving salary increases at least 45 days before a regular election and 30 days prior to the conduct of special polls.

The Comelec has already suspended the printing of ballots for the  Barangay and SK elections in line with Duterte and Congress' agreement to postpone it to next year. —ALG, GMA News