BSKE 2023 winners to take office in 3-week transition period –DILG

Winning candidates in the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) should assume office during a three-week transition period, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Tuesday.

“Ang transition period na binibigay natin ay three weeks. Merong three weeks para maging natural ang transition dito,” Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said in a press conference.

(We are giving a three-week transition period. Three weeks for a natural transition.)

“Kunwari na-proklama ka pa, hindi ka pa nag-o-oath, puwede kang mag-oath within three weeks para proper,” Abalos added.

(For example, if proclaimed, you may take your oath in three weeks to make things proper.)

After taking the oath, Abalos advised new officials to coordinate with the concerned DILG officers for a proper turnover of properties.

“Ayaw po nating magkagulo,” he said.

(We don’t want it to be chaotic.)

Commission on Elections Chairperson George Garcia on Monday said that while they were calling for a one-week transition period, he had asked Abalos if the DILG could study having a transition period. 

Despite reports of election-related violence, Garcia had declared the BSKE 2023 “a victory of sorts,” adding that no election had ever been perfect. 

“When you say generally peaceful when you say incidents, we have to factor in the number of voters involved. We have 92 million registered voters. Of this number, how many are affected? We have 202,000 precincts,” Garcia said.

“Even if there were disruptions in 2,000 precincts, we would still have 200,000 precincts where voting proceeded as expected. There was only a small percentage where disruption occurred. To us, it is a victory of sorts,” he added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News