THE House of Representatives has passed on second reading a consolidated proposal that seeks the deferment of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) from December 5, 2022, to December 4, 2023.

House Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” Dalipe said the House leadership led by Speaker Martin Romualdez is determined to approve the bill by October 1 and have it signed into law by President Marcos before the scheduled BSKE on December 5.

Dalipe said that Senate has likewise made a clear commitment that they would pass their counterpart measure to allow the postponement of the barangay elections.

The House unanimously approved consolidated House Bill (HB) 4673, which is a consortium of 43 separate bills authored by at least 82 members, to allow the deferment of this year’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections and move its date to the first Monday of December 2023.

Subsequent synchronized BSKE was also set on the first Monday of 2026 and every three years there after.

Once passed into law, incumbent barangay and SK officials will retain their position on hold over capacity “unless sooner removed or suspended for cause.”

Dalipe said that Speaker Romualdez is supportive of the proposal because this would allow the Commission and Election and the Local Government Units to better prepare for clean and orderly barangay polls and provide the government ample time to apply corrective adjustments to the honoraria of poll workers.

“We need to pass this law ASAP because time is of the essence. The barangay and SK elections are just a few months away so we are hoping that we can approve this in the House on or before October 1. Hopefully, the Senate will do the same so that we can have an approved measure in time for the President’s signature before the election period,” Dalipe said.

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Ryan Ponce Pacpaco