A poll watchdog rejected the call for the postponement of the 2020 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections saying that by doing so is antidemocratic.
National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) issued the warning after Senator-elect Christopher Go said he will file a legislation to reset the barangay and SK elections from 2020 to 2022.
Go said the new date aims to address the reduced term of the incumbent barangay and SK officials, whose term were unintentionally reduced from the supposed three year to just two years due to delays in the conduct of the previous elections.
If passed into law, Go’s proposal will allow these officials to serve a four-year term.
“Here we go again, postponing regular elections. There was already an attempt to do that the last time,” Namfrel Secretary-General Eric Jude O. Alvia said.
“[Postponing the barangay and SK elections] is unacceptable. Elections must have regularity and is one of the ways to assess our local leaders,” Alvia added.
To recall, the last barangay and SK elections was supposed to be held on 2016. It was then initially moved to 2017 before finally being scheduled to 2018.
The delays, which was pushed by President Duterte, was supposed to help in state’s campaign against narco-politics.