- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Negros Occidental 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III has joined mounting calls to postpone the Dec. 5, 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, to ensure the continuity of programs and projects in the barangay level.
In House Bill 1961 now pending with the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms since Aug. 2, Marañon said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the important role that barangays play, as the officials and employees act as frontliners in catering and responding to the needs and concerns of their constituents.
Their role remained crucial in the government’s efforts to surpass the challenges brought by this pandemic. Now, more than ever, there is a need to ensure the continuity of programs and projects in the grassroots, the solon said in stressing the need to postpone the elections, “bolstered by budgetary constraints”.
He proposed that the elections shall be done in October 2024, and subsequent synchronized barangay and SK elections shall be held on the first Monday of May 2027 and every three years thereafter.
Marañon said all incumbent officials shall remain in office, unless sooner removed or suspended for cause, until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified.
Negros Occidental 4th District Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer also filed a bill postponing the elections in December, adding that majority of the members of the 19th Congress, led by House Speaker Martin Romualdez, are also in favor of the postponement.
In House Bill 119, also pending with the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms since July 26, Ferrer said she wants the synchronized polls postponed to May next year.
“Now is not the time to make changes that will require adjustment and familiarization for new officials. The country has yet to recover from the effects of the pandemic. In our efforts to rise back up, the role of the barangay and SK officials is crucial,” she said, adding that “instead of spending on another electoral exercise, the government can direct its resources to COVID-19 related programs and help rebuild our economy.”/CGC
