The Commission on Elections (Comelec) submitted to the Senate finance subcommittee ‘’M’’ a reduced appropriation to run the October 2023 barangy and Sangguiniang Kabataan (SK) elections from P18.5-billion to P11.26-billion.
The revised cost submitted by Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Irwin Garcia made senators smile, particularly Senator Imee Marcos, subcommittee ‘’M’’ chairwoman.
Marcos later said she would endorse the Comelec revised computation to the Senate mother finance committee chaired by Senator Juan Edgardo M. Angara for floor debate when the Senate resumes plenary session next month.
The original P8.5-billion was the estimate for a December, 2022 barangay and SK elections but Congress passed a bill and later enacted into law by President Marcos resetting it to October, 2023.
The Comelier had asked for a P10-billion additional to the P8.5 billion but Marcos found the amount as an ‘’outrageous demand.’’
Garcia had said that the additional budget would cover other expenses including longer voters’ registration, additional polling precincts, additional honoraria for election personnel.
Instead of the P10 billion, Comelec settled for P2.76-billion to make the October 2023 manual elections running at P11.26-billion during toddy’s committee hearing. The P2.76-billion is added to the original estimate of P8.5 billion.
Marcos had said that based on her computation, the poll body would only need about 15 percent additional budget.
The electoral process will start at 7 a.m.and will end at 3 p.m.
Garcia said election personnel will receive the same honoraria given in the May 2022 national elections.
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