Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 17) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will file a motion for reconsideration before the Supreme Court after it ordered the next barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to be held on December 2025, the same year as the next midterm polls.
“The Comelec will be filing a motion for reconsideration doon po sa naging desisyon ng Korte Suprema. Hindi bilang hindi kami sumasang-ayon. Sumasang-ayon kami sa lahat ng sinabi ng Korte Suprema sa guidelines ng pag-postpone,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said at the first-ever Procurement Summit.
“Subalit yung sa amin po yung pagco-conduct ng eleksyon within the same year ng national at local tsaka yun. Sa aming palagay, may nakikita po kami na dapat i-clarify ng mabuti yung issue na yun,” he said.
[Translation: The Comelec will be filing a motion for reconsideration on the Supreme Court decision. Not because we disagree. We are with what the Supreme Court said about the guidelines on postponement. But for us, the elections would be held in the same year as national and local polls. In our opinion, the issue needs to be clarified thoroughly.]
The Comelec chief said they have directed the Office of the Solicitor General to file a necessary motion for reconsideration once they receive the full copy of the decision.
“Naghihintay kami ano ba yung mismong nakalagay sa desisyon. Baka kasi iba ang nakalagay na wordings doon and kung ma-satisfy ang Comelec, then the Comelec might not decide to file an MR. But in the meantime, based doon sa nailabas na statement mula sa ating Supreme Court, we will be filing a motion for reconsideration,” Garcia said.
[Translation: We are waiting to see what’s really in the decision. There might be something different in the wordings and if the Comelec is satisfied, then the Comelec might not decide to file an MR. But in the meantime, based on the statement released by the Supreme Court, we will be filing a motion for reconsideration.]
The high court earlier declared as unconstitutional Republic Act 11935 or the law postponing the barangay and SK elections to October 2023. Despite the unconstitutionality, it said the local polls should push through on October 30 “due to necessity.”
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/6/27/supreme-court-law-bske-postponement-unconstitutional.html
After October 2023, the Supreme Court said the next BSKE must be held on the first Monday of December 2025 and every three years thereafter.
Garcia expressed concern over conducting the next barangay and SK elections during the same year of the national elections.
“Kung ganun din lang ang sinasabi na ituloy na ang eleksyon nang October. So tuloy na. Ibig sabihin, valid ang October election. Eh di kung bibilangin mo three years ng October so dapat 2026. Yun ang contention ng Commission on Elections,” he said.
[Translation: If they’re saying that the election should be in October, so be it. That means the October election is valid. If you count three years after October, so it should be 2026. That is the contention of the Commission on Elections.]
Garcia earlier said preparing for two elections to be held in the same year is not new for the Comelec, but it will be challenging schedule-wise and if the necessary budget is not approved. He said P25 billion is needed as preparatory budget to conduct an automated election, whether national or local.
“Ang problem talaga namin is kung automated ang BSKE, so dapat makasama sa budget ng 2024 yung budget na preparatory sa BSKE,” Garcia explained.
“Ipapakiusap po ng Comelec na sana dagdagan ng P2,000 across the board ang lahat ng mga teachers natin sa 2025 elections. Nararapat lang po ito dahil wala silang tax exemption. Bagong sistema po ito, bagong proseso,” he added.
[Translation: The problem really is if the BSKE is automated, so the 2024 budget should include the preparatory budget of the BSKE. The Comelec will request that teachers be given an additional P2,000 across the board for the 2025 elections. That’s just right because they have no tax exemption. This is a new system, a new process.]
The Comelec chief also said there is a need to follow the law that says elected barangay and SK officials must serve for three years.
“Sa aming palagay, we have to respect yung three years and equally the term of office, in the same manner na gusto natin maging regular ang election. Regular ang conduct of election dapat predictable din, dapat alam mo rin yung term of office ng barangay at SK,” Garcia explained.
[Translation: For us, we have to respect the three years and equally the term of office, in the same manner that we prefer a regular election. If the conduct of elections is regular, the term of office of the barangay and SK should also be predictable.]
The Comelec says its preparations for the 2023 barangay and SK elections are nearly complete, except for the printing of 1.3 million additional ballots. The poll body will begin dispatching and deploying election-related cargo to offices of provincial, city and municipal treasurers on August 1.
The Comelec earlier said it will conduct pilot testing of the automated election system (AES) for the BSKE in specified areas in Quezon City and Dasmarinas City for the 2023 polls.
The barangay and SK elections are scheduled for October 30.
