Sen. Imee to Comelec: Can we postpone BSKE?
SEN. Imee R. Marcos asked Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials about the possibility of postponing the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) notwithstanding the Supreme Court decision.
“When he (Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia) was a member of the commission, he actually testified to this committee that it would be inconvenient and very difficult to have two elections in a single year, but perhaps where you stand is where you sit and the judgment says otherwise,” Marcos said.
In response, Garcia explained that based on the Supreme Court decision, the next elections for BSKE should be on December 5, 2025, seven months after the mid-term national and local elections.
“And Comelec is obliged to follow,” Garcia said.
Based on reports, two major electoral exercises are scheduled in 2025, which include the midterm polls in May which would elect all national and local posts except for President and vice president, and the BSKE polls in December.
Garcia reportedly said the Comelec would appeal the decision of the SC to schedule the BSK elections in 2025, citing logistic constraints.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III for his part sees no need for the Comelec to use the automated election system (AES) for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in 2025.
According to Pimentel, using AES for BSKE might not be practical for the poll body.
“We might be wasting our efforts because, number one, it is not mandated by law, and number two, it’s going to be really expensive,” said Pimentel.
The House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms recently adopted a resolution urging the poll body to adopt AES in the BSK elections.
However, the Comelec recently made a recommendation for the retirement of 97,000 aging vote-counting machines which have been used already in at least three elections in the past.
With the right budget and help from Congress, the Comelec seeks to replace Automated Counting Machines which are still using optical mark readers where voters use a paper ballot that are counted by machines to a touch screen or touch pad with direct recording capabilities that will help persons with disabilities and illiterate voters in the upcoming elections.
For his part, Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito urged the Comelec to intensify its crackdown against flying voters to ensure the integrity of future election results, especially in the upcoming BSKE.
Ejercito said they received reports that flying voters were being registered as residents of condominiums, townhouses and exclusive subdivisions in some areas so that they’d be able to cast their votes during the past two elections.
“I just want to ask what remedy could be done against these flying voters?” Ejercito asked.
Comelec Chairperson Garcia said they already received a petition asking to annul the list of voters and they are already investigating the matter. By JUN SARMIENTO and CAMILLE BALAGTAS
