THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) Cebu Province has started preparing for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections scheduled on Dec. 5, 2022.
Lawyer Jerome Brillantes, acting Cebu provincial elections supervisor, said they are gearing up for the scheduled elections regardless if it will push through or not.
The incoming House of Representatives members will be looking into the proposals to postpone the barangay and SK elections to save funds that could be used for the National Government’s response to the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, according to reelected Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, who is expected to become the next House Speaker in the incoming 19th Congress.
Romualdez said last month that the government could save up to over P8 billion, which can be used for the Covid-19 response and economic stimulus such as cash aid.
Registration
Brillantes advised the public to check if their names are still on the list of active voters if the registration for barangay and youth councils elections would push through in the first week of July.
Brillantes said individuals who are 14 years old and will turn 15 prior to or on the Dec. 5 elections, can already register themselves for the SK elections.
If the registration pushes through, it may end by October or November this year.
Brillantes said there is also a possibility to conduct an offsite registration in different barangays, as they don’t want to be blamed by voters should they fail to register.
“We always find ways at their own comfort to register them,” he said, adding they also have enough vote registration machines.
Meanwhile, Brillantes said the number of precincts that will be used in the upcoming barangay and youth councils elections may be reduced from that in the recently concluded national and local elections.
Should the barangay and SK elections push through, Brillantes said candidates may be given about 15 days to campaign.
The voting will be done manually, he added.