After the House of Representatives approved its version of the bill postponing the 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to December 5, 2022, Dumper Partylist Representative Claudine “Dendee” Bautista, one of the principal authors of the bill, is optimistic the law will be passed the soonest.
Bautista made the statement on Saturday, November 9 during the distribution of relief goods with the Chinese Consulate Office to earthquake victims in Davao del Sur.
Bautista said the version of the Senate was also already passed last September, with the proposal to conduct subsequent elections triennially.
“So coming from the House (of Representatives), it was already approved and I think now all it really needs for it to be implemented is the signature of the president,” Bautista said.
The lawmaker is confident that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will sign the bill as soon as possible, recalling the latter’s urgency in his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) to make a bill that would postpone the village election that would help incumbent leaders to be efficient in finishing their respective projects.
With all of that in the table, the polls are likely to be moved to 2022.
But as far as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is concerned, the election on May 11 next year will still push through.
Comelec 11 spokesperson Lawyer Krishna Samantha Caballero recently said they will stick to the existing law. Only will they begin to adjust when the new bill has already been formally implemented.
