House panel OKs postponement of barangay, SK polls to May 2018

After only two hours of hearing, the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms on Monday approved the proposed postponement of the October 2017 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to the second Monday of May 2018.

Under the consolidated measures approved by the committee, incumbent barangay officials will be on hold-over positions until they are replaced by their successors after the elections.

During the hearing, 19 members of the House panel voted for the motion of Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Jay Velasco, an author of one of the five measures being discussed by the committee.

Only two committee members, ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio and Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas, voted against the motion.

In his motion, Velasco stressed the need for the House to act swiftly on the proposal as the original election date of October 23, 2017 is fast approaching.

"Pansin ko lang kasi, Mr. Chair, it's already August tapos ang barangay elections natin ay October na. And based only on the ongoing discussions a while ago, natatakot ang Congress, mainly because of the appropriation of the Comelec, baka maubos," he said.

"I move that we consolidate the five bills and state therein that the elections in October 2017 be postponed and move it to the later date which is on the second Monday of May 2018," he added.

Tinio, however, blocked Velasco's motion, arguing that there were other lawmakers who wanted to ask more questions to resource persons.

"Ang narinig pa lang natin dito yung mga barangay officials mismo na of course kapag tatanungin mo ay siyempre pabor sila dahil sila ang pangunahing makikinabang dito. Mawalang-galang na po pero hindi ba self-serving kung tatanungin natin yung opisyal mismo na makikinabang dito?" he said.

"Ang gusto sana natin ay pakinggan muna natin yung ibang sektor lalo na yung mamamayan. Ang solusyon ba diyan ay i-postpone na naman ang eleksyon? Hindi ba ang tamang approach diyan ay sampahan ng kaso ang mga dapat sampahan, palitan sila at ituloy natin ang eleksyon," he added.

Kabayan party-list Representative Harry Roque, on the other hand, appealed to concerned government agencies to ensure that lawmakers will not push for a third postponement of the barangay elections.

"Given that there would be another postponement for this purpose, I hope we don't come back for the third one with no barangay official involved in illegal drugs being removed from office," he said.

With the approval of the measure in the committee level, it will now move to the plenary for discussion.

In an ambush interview after hearing, House panel chair Representative Sherwin Tugna said he personally believes that the measure will be approved on third and final reading before the end of the month.

"Ang debate lang naman based on parliamentary procedures ay second reading e. Third reading wala nang debate diyan. Dito lang ang debate sa first reading and second reading," he said.

With the approval of the measure in the committee level, it will now move to the plenary for discussion.

Last week, the House of Representatives, in an all-member caucus, agreed that the Barangay and SK elections should be postponed to May 2018.

The Senate, meanwhile, has yet to approve a bill filed by Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III on the postponement of the Barangay and SK elections.

Sotto's bill proposes the postponement of the elections to October 2018.

Last June, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said that they will wait for the House to act on the proposed measure first before deciding on Sotto's bill.

Sotto had said that he filed the bill as a response to President Rodrigo Duterte's appeal.

Duterte had alleged that 40 percent of barangay captains nationwide were involved in illegal drugs. He had also said that he was considering appointing new barangay captains, instead of pushing through with the elections. —ALG, GMA News