Comelec to proclaim all winning BSKE candidates today 'at all costs'

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Tuesday that all winners of the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) will be proclaimed today.

“We should proclaim the winning candidates at all costs today. Hindi na puedeng patagalin o ipapagpaliban pa,” said Comelec Chair George Garcia. 

(We should no longer delay the proclamation.)

Garcia made the announcement given that 2023 BSKE winners in 97.44% of the 42,001 barangays in the country or 40,927 barangays have already been proclaimed as of Tuesday afternoon.

The Comelec Chair also said that votes in 99.47% of the 42,001 barangays or 41,780 have already completed canvassing, and that proclamation is just taking time in cases of candidates who ended up tied in the number of votes gathered.

“There are cases when candidates ended up tied and a toss coin or drawing of lots needed to be done. But during the Comelec en banc’s meeting with our regional directors, we instructed them that everything, including conduct of toss coin or drawing of lots, should happen today,” Garcia said.

Garcia also said that  the conduct of the 2023 BSKE in five barangays in Lanao del Sur and two barangays in Calbayog City, Samar are still ongoing today due to delayed delivery of poll paraphernalia and harassment from insurgents, respectively.

“The commitment of our regional directors [to us] is they are going to finish everything this afternoon,” Garcia added.

Garcia also said that it is puzzling as to why five barangays in Lanao del Sur were not able to hold 2023 BSKE as scheduled on Monday if election paraphernalia and other election equipment were delivered in the province on time.

"Those election paraphernalia were not distributed to the precincts and the teachers [serving as Board of Election Inspectors] on time. Kayo na mag conclude kung sino at saan nagkaroon ng delay. Once we deliver the election paraphernalia to the city treasurer, the Comelec has no custody of election paraphernalia anymore," he said.

"The question is, why is that these were not distributed during the time that it should be distributed? We have an idea as to why, but it is better that we verify it first so we can file formal charges against them," added. —VAL, GMA Integrated News