Barangay polls postponement depends on next admin —DILG

The decision to postpone the conduct of barangay elections for 2022 will be up to the next administration, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Friday.

“The DILG will leave it to the wisdom of the incoming Congress and President if they will enact a law postponing the barangay and SK [Sangguniang Kabataan] election,” DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told GMA News Online in a message.

“Otherwise it would be held as scheduled in December 2022,” he added.

On Thursday, House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said more than P8 billion worth of savings could be generated if the barangay elections this year would be postponed.

In November 2021, a bill was filed at the House of Representatives seeking to postpone the December 2022 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to May 2024.

Romualdez, cousin of presumptive president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., is backed by prominent lawmakers and political parties to be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Marcos in his campaign said that instead of postponing barangay elections, he pushed for the amendment of the Local Government Code.

He said he would push for a five-year term for barangay officials if he wins the presidency.  —LBG, GMA News