Senatorial candidate and incumbent Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Thursday said he favors the postponement of the December 2022 barangay elections so that the government can start desynchronizing the barangya and local polls.

Should he secure a seat in the Senate in the upcoming May 9 polls, Escudero said he would push for an amendment to the law to extend the terms of the new sets of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials.

Under Republic Act 9340, or the law that resets the SK and village elections in the Philippines, barangay and SK elections in the country should be held every three (3) years. However, these are often delayed and officials end up holding office for up to five years.

“Papaburan ko ang postponement ng barangay elections—hindi simpleng postponement lang pero dapat i-desynchronize na sa taon kung saan may local elections (I will favor a postponement of barangay elections—not just a simple postponement but also desynchronize the year when local elections are held),” Escudero said.

“Ang aking layunin ay hindi lamang anim na buwan ang pagpapalitan kung hindi sa taong 2024 para hindi sumabay sa halalan ng 2025 (My goan Is to make sure that the transition isn’t just for six months but for the year of 2024 to make sure it won’t be held simultaneously in the 2025 polls),” he explained.

The former senator pointed out that since 2018, barangay elections have been postponed three times. In fact, the December 2022 elections should have been held in May 2020.

“Sana sa susunod, kung ipo-postpone din lang natin ang halalan, habaan na lang natin ang termino, imbes na kada tatlong taon pino-postpone natin (I hope, next time, if we opt for postponing the elections, let’s just allow longer terms, instead of postponing it every three years),” Escudero said.

“Parang kontrata kasi ang eleksyon. Dapat klaro sa tao ang pinapasukan nila na kontrata dun sa opisyal na iboboto nila, kung gaano katagal nga ba sila maninilbihan (Elections are like contracts. It should be clear to the people that they are entering a contract with the officials they are voting for, how long they will serve the public),” said the former senator who is now seeking a Senate comeback.

Escudero explained that by setting barangay and SK elections in a year where no other elections would be held, the government can focus on the preparation and funding for barangay polls.

But the problem, he said, is that some politicians are afraid, and the government itself is also concerned over additional costs that could be incurred during major polls.

“Para sa akin, mas marapat palakasin at patatagin ang demokrasya ng ating bansa kaysa convenience lamang ng mga politiko at ng mga lider ng pamahalaan (For me, its better to strengthen the contry’s democracy over the convenience of politicians and government leaders),” he emphasized.