The Commission on Elections (Comelec) revised its proposed budget for the Oct. 30, 2023, Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSKE) elections from P10 billion to P2.7 billion.
Comelec chair George Garcia said the poll body has already submitted the documents to the Senate for the reduced budget.
The Comelier had asked for a P10 billion additional budget but Senator Imee Marcos found the amount ‘’outrageous.’’ Garcia said that the additional budget would cover other expenses including longer voters’ registration, additional polling precincts, and additional honoraria for election personnel.
The P2.76-billion will be added to the original estimate of P8.5 billion. The poll body sought the additional budget based on the argument that postponing the election would mean more voters that would have to be served by more voting precincts with more election workers.
The Comelec meanwhile said it cannot conduct the BSKE on December 5 if the Supreme Court (SC) will favor the petition of election lawyer Romulo Macalintal.
During the Senate hearing on the Comelec budget, Garcia also said the poll body has to slow down preparations for the supposed December BSKE after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the law postponing the polls.
Garcia also said in the same hearing that the P500 million given to the Comelec by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) would not be enough to even build a foundation for the building that the Comelec is eyeing.
The Comelec budget deliberations were deferred Monday due to the lack of documents and other information asked by a senator. Garcia expressed optimism that senators would accede to their request. He expects the government can save up to P21.275 billion pesos from office rentals.
Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez meanwhile has defended the constitutionality of Republic Act 11935, the law postponing the BSKE.
Rodriguez, who voted for the postponement bill, said there is no specific or categorical provision in the Constitution that prohibits the deferment of the barangay and SK elections.
“The term limit of elected local government officials provided in Section 8, Article 10 of the Constitution expressly excludes that of the barangay officials, which accordingly shall be determined by law,” he said.
This clearly gives the Congress the jurisdiction or authority to pass and enact laws governing the term and elections of barangay and SK officials, he said.
The Mindanao lawmaker refuted Macalintal’s assertion that the authority to postpone an election is vested with the Comelec.
He said it is “not completely correct to say that only the Comelec has the authority or power to cancel or postpone the BSKE because there is nothing in the Omnibus Election Code that exclusively supports such concept.” With Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz
