Comelec: Further P3.8 billion needed for con-con delegate-barangay-SK polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) would need an additional P3.8 billion if they were to organize the election of constitutional convention (con-con) delegates alongside the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October.

“It will require an additional... based on our computation, P3.827 billion if the barangay and SK polls are conducted simultaneously with the election of the delegates for the con-con,” said Comelec Chairman George Garcia during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on the appropriation provision of the proposed Con-con bill.

Garcia said the additional P3.827 billion would be needed for the increased honorarium for teachers who will serve as Board of Election Inspectors as they would be manually counting votes in the barangay, SK, and con-con delegate elections.

“Since this is a manual election, based on our estimated time and motion study, electing the con-con-delegates [alongside barangay and SK polls], the teachers would need two to three hours of preparation for the day of elections. Iyong sa delegates mauunang i-prepare, tapos barangay at SK. Baka abutin ng 12 to 2 in the morning the next day ang pagbilang,” Garcia said.

(They will first prepare to count the votes for delegates, then barangay and SK candidates. The counting could go on until 12 to 2 in the morning the next day.)

“They would need proper additional honoraria. There’s also our support staff,” Garcia added.

Garcia also said that the Comelec would need to print 67 million ballots for the October barangay and SK polls.

Under the Constitution, Congress, by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, may call a con-con to change the Constitution.

The Constitution, however, is not explicit on whether the House of Representatives and the Senate should vote jointly or separately.

Under the Con-con Bill approved by the House constitutional amendments panel on Monday, each con-con delegate will be paid P10,000 per day of attendance at con-con meetings. — DVM, GMA Integrated News