Isko favors postponement of December 2022 barangay, SK elections

Presidential candidate and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno on Thursday favored the postponement of the December 5, 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, saying the P8 billion worth of election funds could be repurposed to aid Filipinos affected by the continuous fuel price hike.

“Huwag na munang ituloy yung barangay elections this year. Kakatapos lang ng national elections sa May. Tapos another election for barangay officials in December. Better to use the allocated money for ayuda and other urgent needs of the people in these difficult times,” Moreno said in an interview in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija.

(Let's not proceed with the barangay elections this year. The national elections would have just ended in May, then another election for barangay officials will be held in December.)

“As I have said, maghahanap tayo ng paraan kung paano maitatawid ang [taumbayan]. And one of those is money or resources. So, kung ako ang tatanungin, extend muna natin yoong barangay election by another year, or a year and a half, nang yung perang gagamitin natin sa eleksyon, magamit natin para ipang-ayuda sa tao, katulad nung gasolina, or ipang-ayuda sa pagkain, or ipambili natin ng fertilizer at ipamahagi sa magsasaka,” Moreno added.

(Let's find a way to offer relief for the people, and one of those is money or resources. If I am the one to be asked, let us extend first the barangay election by another year, or a year and a half, so that the money to be used for elections could instead be used for give aid to people, like gasoline, food, or for the purchase fertilizers to be distributed to farmers.)

“So, yung perang gagamitin sa eleksyon para sa barangay, I’d rather spend it na pakinabanagn muna ng tao at maitawid natin sila. Kaya yung barangay election, hopefully, ma-cancel muna, extend muna natin ng about a year or about a year and a half,” Moreno continued.

(So, the money to  be used for the barangay elections, I’d rather spend it so that the people could benefit and be given relief. The barangay election hopefully should be canceled. Let's extend it for about a year or about a year and a half.)

Moreno urged the government's economic managers to find ways to provide aid to Filipinos, amid the economic crisis brought about by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019 signed Republic Act 11462 or the postponement of the May 2020 barangay and SK elections to December 2022.

Under the law, village elections after the December elections will be conducted on the first Monday of December 2025 and every three years thereafter.

House Bill 10425 was filed at the House of Representatives which sought to postpone the Dec. 5, 2022 barangay elections to May 6, 2024 has been filed Davao Oriental Rep. Joel Almario. About P8 billion has been allocated in the national budget for the barangay elections.

Another presidential candidate, Senator Manny Pacquiao, earlier said he would push for the postponement of the December 2022 barangay elections to save on public funds.

“Unang una, mag-e-eleksyon tayo ngayong May 9. Magkano ang gagastusin ng gobyerno? Tapos mag-eeleksyon ulit tayo ng December, siguro mas malaki-laking pera ang gagastusin natin. Lalong lalaki pa ang gagastusin natin. Madadagdagdan lang 'yung gastos natin,” Pacquiao said during his campaign sortie in Tarlac City Wednesday.

(First of all, we will be having our elections on May 9. How much will the government spend? Then we will have our elections again in December, which might require bigger funds. The elections will be costly.)

“Alam mo naman, nasa period pa tayo ng recovery, hindi pa tayo nakare-recover. Sayang naman 'yung more or less P8 billion na gagastusin natin for barangay elections,” he added.

(We are still in the period of recovery, we have yet to recover. We will be spending more or less P8 billion, a huge amount.) — Jamil Santos/RSJ, GMA News