‘SOBRANG GIPIT’ | DILG official OK with six-month suspension of barangay, SK elections

May 24, 2022 , 01:27 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(May 24, 2022) – It is up to lawmakers to decide if they would like to suspend the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections this December, but an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday said he favors a suspension as long as it would be limited to six months.

DILG undersecretary Martin Diño, who handles barangay affairs, said the six-month postponement could help the Commission on Elections (Comelec) breathe following the national elections last May 9. But without a law, Diño said the barangay and SK elections will push through on December 5.

“In the event na magpasa ang Senado at Kongreso ng postponement nitong (barangay elections), nasa kanila ‘yan,” said Diño. “Pero kung ako ang tatanungin, siguro puwede ang six months. Kasi sobrang gipit na ‘yung Comelec at saka medyo nabugbog tayo sa pulitika nitong nakaraang taon na ito.”

Diño, who also worked as a barangay captain before, believes that the situation is more rigorous at the barangay level since the people are more familiar with each other. With over 40,000 barangays nationwide, he noted that the Comelec has so much to prepare for to ensure the orderly conduct of the elections.

In 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a measure that postponed the barangay and SK elections supposedly scheduled this year. It essentially extended the term of sitting officials until December.

But Rep. Martin Romualdez, who’s poised to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives, hinted at possibly postponing the elections anew to save roughly P8 billion worth of funds.

“Magkakaroon tayo ng savings na P8.141 billion that we can deploy for COVID response and economic stimulus, the ayuda and all that the country needs,” said Romualdez, the cousin of presumptive president Bongbong Marcos Jr., in an interview with reporters last week.

Marcos, for his part, said he would prefer introducing amendments to the Local Government Code instead of postponing the barangay and SK elections again. He’s leaning to push for a five-year term for barangay and SK officials, making them eligible for reelection for up to three terms.

Diño prefers to set a specific term limit to let the people change their leaders if they want to.

“Kailangan magkaroon ng fixed term ‘yan para hindi na postpone nang postpone,” said Diño. “Para ‘pag sinabing eleksyon, whether kaya ng Comelec o hindi, (matutuloy). Kasi expected na ng mga botante ‘yan na mabibigyan na naman sila ng pagkakataon para mapalitan itong mga kapitan na non-performing.”

It remains unclear how long the barangay and SK elections will be postponed but there is a pending bill that seeks to move it to May 2024.

(PM)

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