• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has expressed opposition to any further postponement of the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), warning that delaying the polls to 2028 could allow incumbent barangay officials to serve for as long as nine years.
He said the budget for the elections is already available, making it preferable to proceed with the BSKE as scheduled this coming Nov. 2.
“The budget is there already so we might as well use it,” Lacson said on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
He also raised concerns over the length of time incumbent barangay officials could remain in office if the elections are moved to 2028.
“It is highly possible that if we postpone it up to 2028, some of these officials may have served already for nine years by 2028,” the governor said.
Lacson questioned whether extending their tenure would conflict with the existing limit on the length of service of incumbent officials.
He warned that there is no assurance that sufficient funds would still be available for the elections if these are postponed to a later date.
“There is no guarantee that if you postpone it now to a later date, we will then have the budget to do that,” he said.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia earlier said that another postponement could result in the wastage of up to P8 billion in public funds.
The Comelec has also estimated that postponing the elections would require an additional P2.5 billion to P3.5 billion in funding due to inflation, higher fuel costs, and increased honoraria for teachers who will serve as poll workers.
“I prefer that it will go on, that it will push through as scheduled,” Lacson said. | GPB
