MANILA – Three Senate committees agreed on the postponement of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, which was supposed to be held on May 2020.
Senate Bill No. 1043 postpones the scheduled polls next year to the second Monday of May 2023 and sets the subsequent barangay and SK elections every one year following national and local elections.
The substitute bill was approved by the committees on electoral reforms and people’s participation, local government and finance, chaired by senators Imee Marcos, Francis Tolentino and Sonny Angara.
Under the proposal, incumbent barangay officials, who were elected during the last barangay and SK elections held on May 2018, shall remain in office in a holdover capacity.
Marcos, who was the chairman of the Senate electoral reforms committee, will sponsor to the plenary the committee report, which has drawn the approval of 14 senators.
Opposition Sen. Franklin Drilon concurred with the committee report but has expressed his reservation on the length of the postponement of the barangay and SK polls.
“Alam ko may mag-o-object sa time, okay lang pero ang akin ‘yun ang opinyon ng barangay, SK (and) Commission on Elections. Sabi nga namin sobrang haba naman,” Marcos said. “Sana lang ito na ang last time na mapo-postpone ang barangay at SK elections.”
“Ang sinasabi ko sana after every national elections, after one year ‘yung barangay lagi na lang para alam na natin na three years, ito na lang ang last postponement sana,” added Marcos./PN
