House panel resets b’gay, SK polls
The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms approved yesterday the postponement of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections from May 14 to Oct. 8 this year.
At least 14 panel members voted to postpone the elections while a separate group of 17 lawmakers approved the motion of Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu to reschedule the political exercise on the second Monday of October.
If passed into law, it will be the third time that the barangay and SK elections will be postponed. It was moved from October 2016 to October last year then to May 14.
Committee chairman Rep. Sherwin Tugna said the barangay and SK elections could be held simultaneous with the plebiscite on the proposed shift to a federal form of government.
“I will not say it’s an assumption because there are really movements pushing for deliberations on a federal form of government. We can also save on costs,” Tugna said.
Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said there is no guarantee that the Senate would approve a counterpart measure.
”We will just process (the bill) normally,” Pimentel told reporters.
He said Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez only informed him that the House would pass the measure, but did not request for its speedy passage at the Senate.