Garcia, Roman favor SK, barangay elections postponement

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – In a recent event, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced he is backing the proposed postponement of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October.

Bataan 2^nd district congressman Jose Enrique “Joet” Garcia III, in a statement sent to this reporter said he agrees with President Duterte’s statement on the postponement of the said elections.

“I believe it’s more prudent and practical to postpone the SK/Barangay election to October 2017. This will allow the national government to save on elections expenses given the possibility of simultaneously electing delegates to the constitutional convention,” Garcia said.

On the other hand, Bataan 1st district representative Geraldine Roman said she is also in favor of the postponement of the SK and Barangay elections.

“It’s a practical move (postponement of SK and barangay elections). Para hindi po masyadong magastusan ang ating gobyerno, sunod sunod na po ang gastos ng ating gobyerno. Pag bagong adminsitrasyon kailangan sinupin muna natin ang ating pananalapi,” Roman said in an interview with CLTV 36 Metro News.

Roman added that she is in favor of constitutional amendments through a constitutional convention. She believes it is the best time to discuss electoral reforms including the barangay and the Sangguniang Kabataan elections and other national issues.

Meanwhile, in several media interviews, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has said that the SK polls have to be deferred to allow Duterte to fill up vacancies in the government under his administration.

The Omnibus Election Code stated that an appointing authority is prohibited from appointing new employees, creating new positions, promoting employees, and giving salary increases at least 45 days before a regular election and 30 days before a special election.

Aside from Cong. Garcia (National Unity Party) and Congresswoman Roman (Liberal Party), other allies of Duterte have also reportedly favored the plans to postpone the elections to 2017.