Act on barangay, SK polls postponement, solon urged

KABAYAN party list representative Harry Roque urged the Senate to immediately act on the postponement of the barangay and SK elections.

Roque said the Lower House has proposed to move the local polls on May 2018, however, the Senate, according to the lawmaker has not done anything.

“We need a law to postpone it, without the law, the election will push through this year,” said Roque.

However, the party list representative said there is a doubt the election will push go on citing time constrain.

“What the Senate can do is to pass a bill, otherwise, I don’t know what the preparation of the Comelec kasi nga with all the problem of Chairman Andy Bautista, I do not know if it has hampered the preparation of the Comelec,” added the lawmaker.

But despite the uncertainty of the barangay polls, Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan earlier posed his objection in postponing the elections in October and the selection of barangay officials through appointment by the President, saying these violate the Constitution.

Domogan said he prefers that barangay officials are chosen by the people through an electoral process and appointing the next set of barangay officials is

a deprivation of the people’s right to select their representatives.

“Our Constitution states that government officials including the barangay officials are selected by winning the election.”

“The election gives our constituents the liberty to the select their barangar officials,” he said.

President Duterte has repeated in his many speeches his opposition to the conduct of barangay election to prevent narco-politicians from holding office or even using drug money to win a seat.

“The proliferation of illegal drugs is one of the reasons why the President wants to postpone the barangay election,” Domogan said.

“But as far as I am concerned, let’s give the people their rights to select their barangay officials through an election.”

Commission on Elections officials said that they are still pursuing the preparations for the barangay election in October because no ruling has been issued to postpone its conduct. Roderick Osis