Too late to postpone barangay polls — senators

Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. CATHY MIRANDA / INQUIRER.net

For lack of time and support by majority members, the proposed postponement of the May 14 barangay elections this year might not get the approval of the Senate, two senators have said.

Congress will go on recess on March 23 and will resume on May 14.

“Hindi na aabot, gustuhin man namin…Una sa lahat, karamihan sa amin hindi pabor,” Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said in an interview over dzMM on Tuesday.

Even if the Senate considers the proposal, Sotto noted that Congress had barely a week left to conduct hearings and approve it before the break.

He said it was already “physically impossible” to tackle the proposal, unless it is certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Sotto added that senators were not willing to do overtime to discuss postponing the polls.

“Karamihan nga sa amin ‘di gusto. So mahirap, mahirap mapagbigyan sila dito,” he said.

Aside from time constraints, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said no bill had been filed yet at the Senate seeking the postponement of this year’s barangay polls.

“No time. No bill has been filed in the Senate postponing barangay election,” Drilon said in a text message on Monday.

He said Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also had an informal survey among senators and “no one favored” the postponement.

Voting 14-2 on Monday, the House of Representatives’ committee on suffrage and electoral reforms approved the postponement of the barangay elections from May 14 to October 8 also this year. /cbb

READ: With only 2 weeks left, House panel OKs barangay poll postponement to Oct