FILE PHOTO: Commission on Elections Chair Atty. Andres Bautista
MANILA, Philippines — After the May 9 polls, next in line is the barangay elections which is scheduled this October.
However, COMELEC Chairman Andres Bautista wants the upcoming polls for the more than 40,000 barangays postponed.
Also the poll chief wants the SK or the Sangguniang Kabataan elections, which is also set in October, be moved.
Chairman Bautista said, “Ang tanong, again, that should we hold elections this soon after we just had election fatigue din tayo… sa kapag tinignan yung voter turn out sa barangay napakababa tapos ang laki ng gastos.”
(The question again is that should we hold elections this soon after we just had elections. We might experience election fatigue… also if you look at the voter turnout during barangay polls, it’s very low but the expenses is relatively high.)
Barangay elections adopt a manual poll system so COMELEC would be spending much for the numerous board of election inspectors that will be utilized.
Bautista says they will forward this proposal to the House of Representatives to the Senate and even to the executive department.
He stresses that having several elections is not beneficial.
“Diba ngayon may pag-uusap ng constitutional convention, halalan na naman yan. Kaya isipin natin ilang halalan ba ang gagawin natin. Mahirap yung masyadong maraming halalan… pagka mag-charter change mayroon pang plebiscite panibago na naman yun.”
“We are now talking of constitutional convention, there will be elections for that. So think of this, how many election are we going to conduct? It’s difficult to have numerous elections… if there will be a change in the charter, plebiscite will follow and that’s another one.”
If barangay polls are to be postponed, the term of the incumbent officials will be extended.
A bill was filed in the Lower House of Congress proposing to move the barangay polls to October 2018.
Also the local government committee chairman in the Senate is in favor of postponing the elections in the barangays and a study be first made on how to reform the barangay system. (VICTOR COSARE / UNTV News)
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