Senator Bong Go reiterated his call to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections currently scheduled for May 2020.
In a public hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation joint with Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes; Local Government; and Finance Committees, Go expressed the need for an extension of the current two-year term of barangay and SK officials as stated in his Senate Bill (SB) No. 201 filed last July.
“Barangay and SK officials are the frontliners of the government.”
Previously, the legislator said “Hindi po kasalanan ng mga barangay officials ang postponement ng nakaraang eleksyon.”
The lawmaker had always argued that barangay and SK officials are the frontliners of the government in providing quality public service to the community.
“Mga barangays natin ang pinaka-frontline ng ating gobyerno sa paghahatid ng serbisyo at sa kampanya natin laban sa iligal na droga at kriminalidad. Kaya dapat lang na mabigyan natin sila ng sapat na panahon upang makapagpatupad ng kani-kanilang mga programa at proyekto sa kanilang mga nasasakupan,” the senator added.
The synchronized polls scheduled last October 2017 were postponed to May 2018 when Republic Act 10952 was passed, giving the current officials only two years left to serve in their respective communities.
“Dahil sa RA 10952 na naisabatas noong 2017 at dating postponement ng barangay at SK elections, magiging dalawang taon na lang ang kanilang mga termino mula sa dapat tatlong taon,” he said.
There have been suggestions for the elections to be postponed from May 2020 to May of 2023.
SB 201 seeks to give current officials “ample time and continuity to pursue and implement the programs they have set in their respective jurisdictions.”
The Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms is currently discussing at the committee level on when the next barangay and SK elections will be held if the postponement is approved, taking into consideration inputs raised by key stakeholders. There have been suggestions raised during the previous hearings for the elections to be postponed from May 2020 to May of 2023.
The public hearing led by Senator Imee Marcos was attended by representatives and officials of different government agencies, organizations and academe where the Political Party System Act and Anti-Political Dynasty Act were also tackled.