The Commission on Elections is pushing through with all administrative preparations for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), despite calls from some lawmakers to postpone it.
“All administrative and operational preparations for the December 5, 2022 BSKE have been commenced (and are on-going), upon the direction of the Commission en banc, with Comm. Rey E. Bulay as the Commissioner-in-Charge,” newly reappointed Acting Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said in a brief statement issued last Monday.
Among the initiated process is the drafting of Implementing Resolutions for the said activity, updating of the health protocols for Isolation Polling Places.
Laudiangco said they will start the procurement of ballot paper and other election supplies and printing services for the official ballots, accountable and non-accountable forms.
He also said they will be resuming the voter registration, which is tentatively set to run from July 4 to 30, 2022, “subject to the approval of the en banc.”
Several lawmakers are proposing to reset the BSKE this year to another date to allow the government to save around P8.6 billion, which it can use for pandemic response.
Comelec earlier said until an implementing law for the postponement is passed by Congress, it must continue its preparation for BSKE.
The poll body estimates over 66 million voters will participate in the next barangay elections and over 23 million youths will cast their voters in the SK polls.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes