Lawyer Luie Guia, a former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner on Thursday opposed the proposed postponement of the scheduled barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Dec. 5.
Guia said the Comelec has been preparing for the electoral exercise, ABS-CBN News reported.
Guia, quoted in the ABS-CBN News report said “this is barangay elections. This is where people can feel governance the most, especially during the pandemic. So, why deprive them of the opportunity to evaluate the performance of their elected barangay officials?”
Such a proposal will also affect preparations that Comelec is currently undertaking, Guia said.
“It is difficult for us to decide whether to continue spending money and continue preparing for the election knowing probably it might get postponed,” he said, adding that “so, this is a decision that’s very difficult for an election management body to make because the Comelec cannot slackened in its effort.”
“There are a lot of moving parts and it may be dangerous for Comelec to slow down in some of the preparatory activity,” Guia said, citing the training of electoral board members and transfer of election paraphernalia.
Should there be a decision to delay the village and youth elections, Guia said it should have been made already.
“Well, ideally yesterday or maybe last week. It has to be very soon… because there really has to be a clear direction on the part of the legislature to Comelec,” he said.
Lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on final reading a bill postponing the December 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections for a year. The last barangay elections were held in May 2018.
The supposed May 2020 election for barangay leaders and youth councils was moved to Dec. 5 this year through a law.