Namfrel nixes postponement of barangay, SK elections

The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has reiterated its opposition to the possible postponement of the May 2020 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.

“The regularity of elections is important to establish the mandate, legitimacy and moral authority of elected leaders. Not holding elections regularly could undermine the democratic process of ensuring the citizens’ right to choose their leaders and make them accountable,” the group said in a statement.

The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms earlier approved pending bills postponing the May 2020 elections to the second Monday of May 2023. The Senate also approved Senate Bill No. 1043, which seeks to postpone the barangay and youth elections to December 2022.

Namfrel said that moving the election dates set by law can only be justified when any of the conditions mentioned in Section 5 of the Philippine Omnibus Election Code exist: “any serious cause such as violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of election paraphernalia or records, force majeure, and other analogous causes of such a nature that the holding of a free, orderly and honest election should become impossible in any political subdivision.”

“It is the task of the Commission on Elections to make such determination… through public hearings. None of these conditions exist, and no such consultations with the voting public ever took place,” the group said.—TINA G. SANTOS