Comelec gets P2.589-B additional budget for 2023 BSKE

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) was granted a P2.589-billion additional budget for the conduct of the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Elections (BSKE) on October 30. 

This was disclosed by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III during the deliberations on Comelec’s P22.9-billion proposed budget for 2024 on Thursday.

"Comelec was given from the contingent fund by the authority of the President P2.589 billion?" Pimentel asked.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia responded in the affirmative, explaining that these funds are for the BSKE.

According to Garcia, they needed an additional budget on top of the P8.441 billion that was allocated to them under the 2023 General Appropriations Act because the number of voters increased due to the postponement of the BSKE.

"Kasi na-reset po, Madam chair, your honor, di ba po dapat nga December 5, 2022 [ang BSKE]. Nag registration po kami nag increase ng number of voters kasama SK, ngayon po 91 million kasama ang SK… Nag-increase din po ang number of precincts, number of the electoral boards that will be serving pati ballot boxes pati overtime," he said. 

With the new funding, Garcia said the total budget allotted for the 2023 BSKE is now P11 billion.

In a Viber message to GMA News Online, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco explained that it was the Department of Budget and Management that initiated the augmentation of funds for the 2023 BSKE.

"Augmentation po ito given and sourced by the DBM. Sila po ang nagkusa na ibigay ito sa Comelec para punan ang kakulangan po sa BSKE dahil sa pagdami po ng botante," he said.

For Senator Imee Marcos, who presided over the budget hearing, the contingent fund is meant for emergency situations.

"Ang alam ko ang contingency funds are precisely for this kind of emergency shortage," Marcos said in an interview. —VBL, GMA Integrated News