Bill postponing barangay, SK polls hurdles committee level

The proposal to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections hurdled the committee level on Tuesday, one step closer to its passage in the House of Representatives.

The proposed legislation was effectively approved on first reading.

Chairman Cibac Rep. Sherwin Tugna presided over the suffrage and electoral reforms committee hearing and said there were 12 bills seeking to defer the barangay and SK elections.

The committee adopted House Bill 3384 filed by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as the working draft of the substitute bill.

In the bill authored by Speaker Alvarez and majority floor leader Ilocos Norte Rep. Rudy Fariñas, the village and SK polls this year would be deferred to the fourth Monday of October next year or October 23, 2017.

The House version of the bill would be similar to the bill filed at the Senate for the postponement, Fariñas had said.

During the meeting with members of the House last Tuesday about the bill, Farinas said the elections would be scheduled at least one week before the celebration of All Saint’s Day or Undas.

The majority floor leader said the House version would have the effect of adopting the Senate version to do away with the bicameral conference, where both Houses of Congress meet to thresh out the differing versions and come up with a united proposed legislation.

Fariñas said the postponement would allow President Rodrigo Duterte to have a free hand in filling up the vacancies in the bureaucracy and avoid the elections ban of 45 days before a regular election and 30 days before a special election as stated in the Omnibus Election Code.

“Upon the actions of the President, in his desire to fill up the bureaucracy to be given ample time to do it, if we push through with the elections, if he’ll be hampered, he won’t be able to reorganize the bureaucracy,” Fariñas said.

READ: Alvarez backs postponing barangay, SK polls to avoid election ban | Alvarez: Abolish SK, barangay councilors

The bill is targeted to be approved on third and final reading by Sept. 12 before the president signs it into law. CDG/rga