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Pacquiao to push for postponement of Dec. 2022 barangay elections


TARLAC City —Presidential candidate and Senator Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday said he would push for the postponement of the December 2022 barangay elections to save public funds.

"Unang una, mag-e-eleksyon tayo ngayong May 9. Magkano ang gagastusin ng gobyerno? Tapos mag-eeleksyon ulit tayo ng December, siguro mas malaki-laking pera ang gagastusin natin. Lalong lalaki pa ang gagastusin natin. Madadagdagdan lang 'yung gastos natin," Pacquiao said as he campaigned in this city.

(First of all, we will be having our elections on May 9. How much will the government spend? Then we will have our elections again in December, which might require bigger funds. The elections will be costly.)

"Alam mo naman, nasa period pa tayo ng recovery, hindi pa tayo nakare-recover. Sayang naman 'yung more or less P8 billion na gagastusin natin for barangay elections," he added.

(We are still in the period of recovery, we have yet to recover. We will be spending more or less P8 billion, a huge amount.)

Pacquiao said government funds could instead be used for financial aid to Filipinos affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and for the recovery of small and medium enterprises.

An amendment of the election law is needed to defer the December 2022 barangay and Sanggunian Kabataan polls.

A bill has been filed at the House of Representatives to postpone the polls to May 2024.—LDF, GMA News