Solon seeks postponement of 2022 barangay, SK polls

A bill has been filed at the House of Representatives seeking to postpone the December 2022 barangay ang Sangguniang Kabataan elections to May 2024.

In his explanatory note, Davao Oriental Representative Joel Mayo Almario, author of House Bill 10425 filed on October 28, 2021, noted the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as reason for his proposal.

"The global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to stay for a few more years. It is still uncertain as to exactly when it can be contained as medical and scientific studies in search for the lasting treatments are still ongoing," he said.

"Meanwhile, economies across the world continue to suffer."

The synchronized barangay and SK elections are scheduled on December 5, 2022, months after the national and local elections.

According to Almario, the resulting extended term of the current barangay and SK officials "will provide the fresh set of national and local officials, elected only in May 9, 2022, a mechanism of continuity in the ongoing fight against the pandemic."

"The country cannot afford to have all new leaders in 2022, from the President of the Republic down to the last Sangguniang Kabataan officials," he said.

Almario added that doing so "will add more pressure to the efficient delivery of governmental services. Our collective lead against the pandemic may be threatened of sliding back."

The December 2022 barangay and SK polls were originally scheduled on May 11, 2020.  —KBK, GMA News