ONCE again, Philippine electorates and wannabe candidates for the 2018 barangay and SK polls this May are put on a hanging mode as the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms approved on March 12 the postponement of the elections which was originally scheduled on May 14 to October 8, 2018.
Members of the said committee have voted for the postponement as others approved a motion to reschedule the election to the second Monday of October.
If the said House Bill would prosper to become a law, it would be the third postponement of the polls for barangay and SK leaders in the whole country.
The lower chamber has likewise proposed that if the proposed postponement of the polls would push through, it would be4 scheduled to coincide with the yet another proposal, the possible plebiscite on the proposed shift to a federal form of government.
This early, we cannot say that the plebiscite would materialize. However, the postponement might not be possible due to some reasons.
While the Lower House is really bent on postponing the barangay and SK polls, the Senate seems adamant to reset it to another date. Majority of the Upper House members are not in favor of the postponement.
In an informal survey with the Senators, not one is in favor to postpone the elections.
Assuming but not granting, the Senate is likewise in favor of the postponement, Senators are bereft of more time to deliberate on the matter as the Congress (Senate and the House of Representatives) will go on recess on March 23 and will only resume their legislative works on May 14.
Due to time constraints, the proposed postponement of the pols might not get the approval of the Senate. Congress has only 1 week left to conduct hearings and to approve the same before the said recess.
Senators, as per information, are not willing to do overtime work just to discuss the postponement, this aside from the fact that they are not for the resetting of the polls’ date. They are even excited to go on their break.
For those who might be asking anyone and anywhere, the supposed barangay and SK polls on May of this year will most likely, push through due to the above-stated reasons. This brings good news to those who are planning to gun for barangay or SK positions as they can finally file their Certificates of Candidacy.
For the incumbents, this means that this might be the end of their terms of offices or the start of their fresh mandate should they seek re-election and win.
Various speculations and assumptions are abound whenever the barangay and SK elections draw near. Well we cannot blame people since the said polls’ date was re-scheduled twice.
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