Two houses to unify barangay election bill

Photo credit: Richard V. Viñas / Manila Bulletin

Malacañang is optimistic that two chambers of Congress would harmonize their versions of the bill on the barangay poll postponement.

“The Palace welcomes the approval of Senate Bill No 1584, or the Act Postponing the October 2017 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections, on its third and final reading,” Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

“We hope for the immediate enactment of the law and call on our citizens to support the measure as the Senate and the House of Representatives go for a bicameral conference to start working and harmonizing their versions of the bill,” he said.

The Senate recently passed the bill postponing the barangay and SK polls from October this year to May 2018 after receiving a certification of the bill as urgent from President Duterte. The senators, however, removed the provision that would let the President to appoint officers-in-charge in barangays. The incumbent barangay officials, instead, will keep their positions until the next polls are held.

The House earlier approved the bill postponing the barangay polls to May 2018. The bill also allows barangay officials to remain in a holdover position.

The President had earlier pushed for the postponement of the October 2017 barangay and SK polls to prevent the influence of drug money in the polls. Duterte, however, refused to accept the power to appoint the officers-in-charge in barangays to dispel speculation he was holding too much power.

“The President’s stance remains clear and consistent: He wants the barangay and SK elections to be postponed,” Abella said. (Manila Bulletin)