House bill seeks postponement of barangay, SK elections to May 2024
MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to further move the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to May 2024 has been filed in the House of Representatives.
House Bill No. 10425, filed by Davao Oriental 2nd District Rep. Joel Mayo Almario, pushes to defer the conduct of the barangay and SK elections from its current schedule of December 5, 2022 to May 6, 2024.
“The resulting extended term of the current barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials will provide the fresh set of national and local officials, elected only in May 9, 2022, a mechanism of continuity in the ongoing fight against the pandemic,” Almario said in the bill.
“The country cannot afford to have all new leaders in 2022, from the President of the Republic down to the last Sangguniang Kabataan official, as doing so will add more pressure to the efficient delivery of governmental services. Our collective lead against the pandemic may be threatened of sliding back,” he added.
Almario said that if his proposal will be enacted into law, it will usher in “the energy of the new (the newly elected national and local officials) and the wisdom of the old (the barangay and SK officials).”
“Barangay officials are effectively the frontliners in the delivery of basic government services. They are the foot soldiers of the Executive. They are primarily responsible for disseminating relevant and vital information from the national government,” Almario said.
“They serve as the backbone and the first line of defense of local governance,” he added.
In December 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the law moving the barangay and SK elections from May 2020 to December 2022.
