Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 13)— The House of Representatives approved on second reading Tuesday a bill seeking to postpone the December barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections for one year.
House Bill No. 4673 — which was passed via voice vote — seeks to move the upcoming polls to the first Monday of December 2023.
This aims to give the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and local officials more time to prepare, and for the government to “apply corrective adjustments to the honoraria of poll workers.”
The proposed measure also sets the next barangay and SK elections to 2026, and every three years after.
It also allows incumbent officials to keep their posts on a holdover capacity unless they are suspended or removed from office.
House Majority Leader Rep. Manuel Jose Dalipe, meanwhile, urged the Senate to pass the counterpart bill as soon as possible due to time constraints.
“We need to pass this law ASAP because time is of the essence. 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,” he said.
Despite the move, Comelec chair George Garcia earlier this month said the poll body was already 80% prepared for the upcoming polls.
CNN Philippines’ Xianne Arcangel contributed to this report.
