SK, Brgy polls, Comelec: Voters lists may be delayed

CEBU, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) denied reports that it is not releasing the official voters list for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections unless the barangays pay for their required counterpart in the expenses.

Cebu provincial Comelec supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano said that it has not been stated in any resolution that the barangays partaking in election expenses would be a prerequisite for the release of the official list of voters.

Recently, Local Government Units (LGU) have expressed their dismay on the resolution issued by the Comelec requiring for LGUs to set aside not less than P10,000 but not more than 10 percent of their available general funds to be used for the elections.

Castillano said that the deadline for the release of the official list of voters is on September 13. But Castillano admitted that there might be a delay since the materials used for printing have yet to arrive from Manila.

Some of their offices have been able to start printing using supplies from the previous elections, said Castillano.

“Possible na ma-delay because wala pa naabot ang materials,” Castillano said, but stressed that it is not because of the expenses that they have asked from the LGUs.

He said that they will be posting the official voters list in the offices of their election officers but if the barangays would want a copy, there is a corresponding payment.

Based on Sec. 50 of the Omnibus Election Code, the “local governments shall appropriate funds to defray such necessary and reasonable expenses of the members of the board of election tellers (BETs), board of canvassers (BOC), the printing of election forms, the procurement of other election paraphernalia, and the installation of polling booths”.

The Comelec earlier explained that they would need the barangays to shell out money for the elections since only P1.1 billion has been allocated for the elections this October. This is P2 billion short from the P3 billion budget that the Comelec would need to conduct the barangay and SK elections.

According to the resolution, LGUs can ask for a supplemental budget from the Department of Budget Management (DBM) if they do not have the appropriate budget.

Meanwhile, Comelec election IV Ferdinand Gujilde said there have been concerns in Carcar and Liloan which have been elevated in court for inclusion and exclusion cases. Gujilde explained that inclusion cases are filed by those who would want to appeal the denial of the Comelec of their application for registration in a barangay while exclusion cases are for those who would want to complain against registrants who have been approved for registration by the Comelec. — (FREEMAN)