Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the country could save a lot of resources if the barangay and SK elections won’t push through.
He stressed that the country spends a lot during elections.
The governor noted that currently, the country’s debts have already ballooned to P12.3 trillion so it would be better if the government spending is minimized.
There are about 41,948 barangays in the country. In Negros Occidental, alone there are 601, he said.
The measure seeking the postponement of the barangay and SK elections this year to May 6, 2024 has been filed at the House of Representatives.
In filing House Bill 10425, Davao Oriental Representative Joel Almario said the extended term of the current barangay and SK officials will provide the fresh set of national and local officials elected only on May 9, 2022 a “mechanism of continuity” in the ongoing fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“The country cannot have all new leaders in 2022, from the President of the Republic down to the last Sangguniang Kabataan official, doing so will add more pressure to the efficient delivery of governmental services,” he said.
The lawmaker also said that barangay officials are effectively the frontliners in the delivery of basic government services, further describing them as “foot soldiers” of the executive and the first line of defense of local governance.
He said they are primarily responsible for disseminating relevant and vital information from the national government.
In 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11462, or the postponement of the May 2020 barangay and SK elections to December 2022.
Under the law, village elections after the December 2022 vote will subsequently take place on the first Monday of December 2025 and every three years thereafter.*