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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Thursday, October 5, 2017
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MANILA – Again, the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections have been postponed.
Republic Act (RA) 10952 moved the elections from Oct. 23 this year to the second Monday of May next year.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the measure into law on Oct. 2.
RA 10952 was passed by the Senate as Senate Bill No. 1584 on Sept. 20. The House of Representatives adopted the measure on Sept. 25.
Subsequent synchronized barangay and SK elections “shall be held on the second Monday of May 2020 and every three years thereafter,” the law stated.
All current barangay officials shall be in holdover positions.
“Until their successors have been duly elected and qualified, all incumbent barangay officials shall remain in office, unless sooner removed or suspended,” read part of Section 3.
The law, under Section 8, also mandates the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to “promulgate rules and regulations” necessary to implement the law “within 15 days after the effectivity of this Act.”
This was the second time the elections were postponed. Elections scheduled in October last year was moved to Oct. 23 this year.
Duterte favored the postponement of the barangay and SK elections.
He feared drug money would be used to fuel the candidacies of people suspected to have connections with drug lords.
“Do you know the reason why I also agreed with some congressmen to postpone the barangay elections? Do you know why? Because I am afraid that the drug money will seep into the electoral process,” he said in August last year.
The law shall take effect “immediately following the completion of its publication either in the Official Gazette or in two newspapers of general circulation in the Philippines,” read Section 11.
A PDF copy of the new law has been posted on the Official Gazette (officialgazette.gov.ph) yesterday.
“Adjustments will be made to the Comelec’s current preparations, taking the new date of elections into consideration, and continuing activities for the 2019 exercise,” the commission’s spokesman James Jimenez said in a press statement yesterday.
Comelec started enforcing the election gun ban and all other election period prohibitions on Sunday, Oct. 1 when the law postponing the elections had not been signed yet.
“Comelec also advised all deputized agencies and election partners to immediately begin ramping down their election related activities and await more detailed instructions, directives, and guidelines from the commission on how to move forward,” Jimenez said. (With Adrian Stewart Co/PN)
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