By J. Jala | 02:53 PM August 16, 2022
The House Suffrage and Electoral Reforms committee on Tuesday has voted to postpone the December 5, 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections to December 4, 2023.
At least 12 members voted in favor of the measure even after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) informed the panel that postponing the December 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections for at least year will entail an additional cost of P5 billion.
Only France Castro of Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan party-list voted against the postponement, saying this will rob the voters of their right to choose their public officials.
The House panel likewise carried the motion setting the tenure of those who will be elected in December 2023 and thereafter for three years.
Those elected during the December 2023 polls will start their term noontime of January 1, 2024.
Comelec chief George Garcia earlier told the House Suffrage and Electoral Reforms panel that such postponement means additional cost for the government since moving the barangay and youth council polls to a later date mandates the poll body to reopen registration for new voters.
If we are going to postpone the elections and increase the honorarium of poll workers, on the assumption that Congress will be kind enough to increase the honorarium, plus the expenses for the continuing registration, we need an additional P5 billion,” Garcia told lawmakers.
