Told you so: Lagman feels vindicated after SC ruling on village, SK polls

Albay first district representative Edcel Lagman with Senator Pia Cayetano (File photo from RAFFY LERMA)

MANILA, Philippines — The declaration of Supreme Court (SC) on the illegality of the postponement of village and youth elections last year is similar to the position previously taken by some lawmakers.

Albay first district representative Edcel Lagman made this statement on Wednesday.

“The Supreme Court decision declaring unconstitutional Republic Act No. 11935, which again postponed the barangay and SK elections (BSKE), sustains my position and those of a few other legislators that the challenged statute violates the Constitution,” he recalled.

“The SC decision also supports our contention that the purported reason for the postponement to transfer funds earmarked for the BSKE to pandemic response violates the constitutional ban on the transfer of funds,” he said.

“The high court’s ruling, likewise, confirms our opposition to the repeated postponement of the village and youth elections based on arbitrary grounds like ‘election fatigue,’” the lawmaker added.

On September 20, 2022, House of Representatives passed the bill that sought to suspend village and youth polls.

Senate ratified the measure on September 28, 2022, just before the break in Congress sessions.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed it into law on October 12 last year.

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APL