Comelec bars barangay assemblies ahead of 2023 BSKE campaign period

The Commission on Elections, sitting en banc, has decided to prohibit the conduct of barangay assemblies ahead of the campaign period for next month’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.

In an interview on Wednesday, Comelec chairperson George Garcia told GMA Integrated News that the Department of the Interior and Local Government had sought the commission’s legal opinion regarding the conduct of barangay assemblies in October, just days before the start of the campaign period on October 19.

“Yun pong napagdesisyunan ng en banc, with all due respect sa DILG, ay hindi po natin pinapatuloy yan pong pagko-conduct ng barangay assembly sa buong bansa,” Garcia said.

[That’s what has been decided by the en banc, with all due respect to the DILG, that we will not allow the conduct of barangay assemblies nationwide.]

Garcia said the barangay assemblies may be used to bolster the candidacy of incumbent officials who are seeking another term.

“Sa ating palagay ay mababalewala naman yung efforts ng Commission on Elections patungkol sa laban niya against premature campaigning. Parang sina-sanction natin at pinapayagan ang premature campaigning sa pamamagitan ng pagco-conduct ng barangay assemblies,” Garcia added.

[We think that the efforts of the Comelec against premature campaigning will be useless. It will be as if we are allowing allowing premature campaigning with the conduct of barangay assemblies.]  

The Comelec chair told GMA Integrated News that barangay assemblies can instead be conducted after the elections.

The Comelec had said that the campaign period starts on October 19 and ends on October 28. The BSKE will be held on October 30. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News