Comelec hopes decision on conduct of barangay polls bared by end-August

Commission on Elections chairperson George Garcia on Sunday said they are expecting that Congress will reveal by the end of the month its decision on whether the 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) will be postponed or pushed through in December.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Garcia said that they are looking forward to the hearing on the conduct of the BSKE amid the calls for its postponement to save P8.141 billion.

Garcia, however, said he personally believes that the BSKE should continue as planned as it will result in a thriving democracy for the country.

“Ang isang eleksyon, ‘yan ang nagiging paraan upang palitan ang mga tiwali, walang kuwenta, at hindi talaga mga performer na nanunungkulan sa ating pamahalaan. At the same time, ‘yan naman ay isang pagkakataon din upang mapanatili natin ang mga lider na sa ating palagay naman ay karapat-dapat na mamahala sa atin nang tuloy-tuloy,” he said.

(An election is a way to replace the corrupt, worthless, and non-performers in the government. At the same time, it is also an opportunity for us to retain the leaders who we think are worthy to lead us continuously.)

“Tama po na magkaron ng halalan. Subalit, kinikilala natin na ito ay isang absolute na discretion ng ating Kongreso kung ipagpapaliban o itutuloy ang darating na halalan na SK and barangay election,” he added.

(It is right to hold an election. However, we recognize that Congress has absolute discretion on whether to postpone or continue the upcoming SK and barangay election.)

Garcia earlier said that the poll body is already "in full swing" for their preparations for the BSKE, which include briefings and training with their top officials.

He also said then that of the P8.4-billion budget for the BSKE, around P5 million were already spent for the voter registration and the payment of workers who worked overtime for the BSKE preparations. —KG, GMA News