Comelec welcomes postponement of village, youth polls to 2022

FILE: Director James Jimenez (left), at Quezon City on Wednesday (April 24, 2019) (Ben Briones/PNA)

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday welcomed the postponement of the May 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to December 2022.

“The Commission on Elections welcomes the signing of RA 11462 as the passage of the law finally puts to rest the question of whether or not the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will be held next year,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a statement late Tuesday.

Jimenez added they will now be able to focus on the preparations for the May 2022 presidential polls.

“With the B & SK elections postponed to 2022, the Comelec will now focus its energies on preparing for the 2022 National and Local Elections,” Jimenez said.

On the other hand, an election watchdog reiterated its earlier stand that elections should be held periodically.

“We still reiterate our position made a couple of months ago that it is ideal to have periodic scheduled elections and this serves as an accountability mechanism for the voting public,” Eric Alvia, secretary-general of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) said in a statement.

“They have to submit themselves to the people’s mandate through periodic elections. If constituents are satisfied with their performance, they need not worry with their terms being cut and they can continue on implementing their programs/projects,” he added.

On Tuesday, Duterte signed the law postponing the village and youth polls which is originally scheduled in May next year to Dec. 5, 2022.

Upon the signing of the new law, there would be two elections in 2022 – national and local elections in May and the BSKE in December.

After 2022, the village and youth elections will be conducted every three years.

Incumbent barangay and SK officials will remain in office until their successors have been duly elected and qualified.

It was in May 2018 when the country last held the village polls.