Senate OKs bill postponing barangay, SK elections on 2nd reading

The Senate on Wednesday approved on second reading the Senate Bill (SB) 1306 which seeks to postpone the scheduled barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on 5 December 2022.

During the period of individual amendments, Senate Minority Deputy Leader Risa Hontiveros asked Senator Imee Marcos, who chairs the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People's Participation, to reconsider the proposal to hold the election in May 2023 instead of December 2023.

Hontiveros pointed out that during her discussion with several barangay leaders, people's organizations, and other stakeholders, they said that they would rather hold the election in May 2023 because it is within the seven months needed preparatory time by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

She also said that it would "lessen the required additional funding to support the elections; enable our barangay and SK leaders to serve office for five years — although not as much as almost double their original three-year terms" if they postpone til December 2023; and lastly, so they can align the next dates of the elections with that of the period of three years, as also proposed in the Committee Report.

However, Marcos, who earlier admitted that she broke her promise to end the postponements of the barangay and SK elections, rejected the proposed amendment.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III voted no to the proposed measure. 

Under the proposed measure, the barangay and SK elections will be moved from December 2022 to the second Monday of December 2023. 

After the December 2023 elections, the bill stated that subsequent synchronized elections shall be held on the second Monday of 2026 and every three years thereafter.

Meanwhile, the term of office of the barangay and SK officials elected in the December 2023 elections shall commence at noon on January 1 next following the elections.

The term of office of the barangay and SK officials elected in the May 2026 elections and subsequently thereafter shall commence at noon of 30 June next following the elections.