It is official! In case you missed out on the news, the next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections will take place not this year but on October 2023 as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., signed the law of election postponement, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported. The Barangay and SK polls were originally scheduled to take place this December.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA news report. Some parts in boldface…
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed a law postponing the December 2022 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
Republic Act (RA) No. 11935, signed by Marcos on Oct. 10, postpones the Barangay and SK elections on Dec. 5 this year to the last Monday of October 2023.
“There shall be synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, which shall be held on the last Monday of October 2023 and every three years thereafter,” the law reads.
Under RA 11935, the term of office of the Barangay and SK officials will commence at noon of Nov. 30 following their election.
“Until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified, all incumbent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials shall remain in office, unless sooner removed or suspended,” it added.
Barangay and SK officials who are ex officio members of the Sangguniang Bayan, Sangguniang Panlungsod, or Sangguniang Panlalawigan will continue to serve as such members in the Sanggunian concerned until the next Barangay and SK elections unless removed.
The amount necessary for the implementation of RA 11935 will be taken from the appropriations of the Commission on Elections under the General Appropriations Act and/or supplementary appropriations.
“If any portion or provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provisions not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect,” RA 11935 reads.
All other laws, acts, presidential decrees, executive orders, issuances, presidential proclamations, rules and regulations which are contrary to and inconsistent with any provision of RA (11935) are repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
RA 11935 is a consolidation of House Bill No. 4673 and Senate Bill No. 1306, which was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines on Sept. 28, 2022.
Last month, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said they are considering moving the dates of filing the certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2022 Barangay SK elections pending the decision on proposals to postpone it.
The COC filing for the 2022 Barangay and SK elections was initially set from Oct. 6 to 13.
Comelec will comply
In a statement on Wednesday, Garcia said Comelec will comply with the law postponing the BSKE.
“As I have said before, the Comelec shall comply with the law. I have conveyed the Comelec position with regard to postponement of the BSKE to the legislature and the President and I trust that such position was duly noted and considered,” he said.
“With this law, the legislative and the executive departments have seen fit to postpone the Barangay and SK Elections (BSKE) to October of 2023,” he added.
For added insight, posted below are digital copies of Republic Act Number 11935.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Were you eager to vote for your barangay and/or SK officials this year? For you, does the postponement of the polls to October 2023 make sense?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
+++++
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Author Carlo Carrasco 