Rookie solon Leyte 4th district Rep. Richard Gomez has filed a bill pushing for the postponement of the Dec. 5, 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BKSE).
As part of the initial salvo of bill filings in the 19th Congress, Gomez filed House Bill (HB) 937 or “An Act Postponing the December 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections Amending for the Purpose Republic Act (RA) no. 9164, as Amended by RA 9340, RA 10632, RA 10656, RA 10923, RA 10952, RA 11642, and for Other Purposes.”
The actor-lawmaker wants to postpone the BKSE until Dec. 5, 2023, one year past the original schedule. The following BKSE will then be held in December 2026, and subsequent elections every three years thereafter.
Officials elected during the proposed poll dates would then take office on Jan. 1 of the following year.
Gomez explained that in doing so, the national government could have “financial breathing room” after the recent May 2022 national elections and have actual funds to bolster the agriculture sector.
“That’s why a postponement can be called. The remaining balance of the budget for the year and for barangay and SK elections can be used for agricultural programs, which are badly needed and a priority of the new President," Gomez said on Wednesday, July 6.
"We can budget the barangay and SK elections next year,” he added.
Meanwhile, his fellow lawmakers in the 19th Congress have spoken out against the proposed deferment to the BKSE, citing a need for good governance These include Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel and Quezon City 2nd district Rep. Ralph Tulfo.
Read more here: https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/06/solons-want-barangay-sk-polls-to-push-through-sooner-than-later/