Postpone barangay polls, solons say

The House committee on electoral reforms is proposing a delay in the holding of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to give the Commission on Elections more time to prepare for the polls.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Augusto Syjuco (Lakas, Iloilo), has approved a bill postponing the elections, originally set for May, to Nov. 11, or a delay of six months.

Syjuco said the balloting as scheduled is just less than three months away, and the Comelec has apparently not started its preparations.

This has prompted some sectors to suggest that the exercise be held simultaneously with the 2004 combined presidential and congressional elections, he said.

He said holding the balloting for barangay and SK officials with the 2004 elections could be a mess and a nightmare for the Comelec.

Besides, he added that the barangay and SK polls are supposed to be non-partisan and should therefore be held separately.

Thus, Syjuco’s committee proposed resetting the election of village officials to Nov. 11.

This would also give the Comelec time to register millions of youth aged 15 to 21 so they can participate in choosing their leaders, he said.

Citing Comelec figures, the Iloilo congressman said about 11.6 million youth are expected to vote in the SK elections. – Jess Diaz