MALACAÑANG said on Monday that a bill postponing the barangay election is now awaiting the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.
”It is already set for postponement, for signature,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a media briefing Monday.
Abella said he will look into speculations that the about 5,000 barangay captains who are on the drug list of President Duterte is delaying the signing of the postponement bill.
”It’s may be procedural that’s delaying the whole thing but definitely, it’s on the pipeline for being postponed,” Abella said.
Barangay election is scheduled for October 31 but the Senate and the House of Representatives passed respective bills—SB No. 1112 and HB No. 3504, respectively, seeking to reset the polls to the fourth Monday of October 2017.
Earlier, President Duterte pushed for the postponement of the barangay election for fear that narco-politicians may use drug money to manipulate the poll results.
On the reports that a case will be filed against government for postponing election, Abella said: “We’ll look to that.”
He said the P6 billion allotted for this year’s barangay election will be put on hold “until such time it’s used.”