Treñas: No reason to postpone barangay, SK polls
There is no reason to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections set on October 25 this year, Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas said.
Treñas said the House of Representatives has no time to discuss the postponement or even to delay the upcoming elections.
He said, however, he is favor of amendments in the SK representation in the barangays.
Among the possible amendments is that there will be no more election for SK councilors except only for SK chairman who will represent the youth in the barangay council.
The SK chairman will also receive the same privileges as those granted to the members of the barangay council, he said.
Despite Treñas’ pronouncement, the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms said it will start this week hearings on proposals to postpone the barangay and SK elections.
Committee chair and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga said last Wednesday the hearing on August 18, will have resource persons from the Commission on Elections and Department of Budget and Management, and representatives from various political parties and the Liga ng mga Barangay.
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III had earlier said he wants the barangay and SK elections to push through in October.
Several bills are already pending in the House calling for the postponement of the barangay and SK elections because the government may not have enough funds to conduct the electoral exercise.
In Iloilo province, Liga president Jeneda Salcedo-Orendain, along with the almost 19,000 elected and appointed barangay officials, including SK chairmen, want their term extended for another two years.
Salcedo-Orendain said the barangay officials in Iloilo want the election postponed for lack of budget as many of the barangays’ funds were used up in rehabilitation efforts after Typhoon Frank hit the province two years ago.
Registration
In Iloilo City, more than 22, 000 applicants were able to register for barangay and SK elections during the 10-day registration period that ended over the weekend.
City Assistant Election Officer Jonathan Sayno said that almost 10,000 voters registered for the barangay elections while about 12,000 for the SK polls.*
