Comelec: Cut on 2025 proposed budget to affect preparations for NLE, BSKE

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said the P14 billion funding slashed from its proposed 2025 budget will impact the preparations for next year’s elections.

At the Senate finance subcommittee's hearing on the Comelec’s P35.47 billion proposed budget for 2025, poll chief George Erwin Garcia said at least P3 billion of the budget cut was initially allocated for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) and around P8 billion was for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).

“Ang malaking natamaan ay BSKE. Manual na halalan po ang BSKE sa December 2025,” said Garcia.

(The one greatly affected is BSKE. BSKE will have a manual election in December 2025.)

A P2,000 across-the-board increase for the honorarium of teachers serving on election day as well as additional support staff for electoral board members and Department of Education Supervisor Official (DESO) in each precincts were approved for the mid-term elections next year.

But with the budget cut, Garcia said the adjustments would not be implemented for the BSKE. It would likewise affect the voter education for the polls.

“Magsu-suffer din po ang training na ginagawa namin para sa mga guro sapagkat sa P3B na nawala for NLE, halos kalahati ay para sa training ng mga teachers…’Yung natitira na balanse more on forms and supply and voters education,” he said.

(The training we're conducting for teachers is also suffering because of the P3 billion we lost for the NLE, with almost half of it allocated for the training of teachers. The remaining balance is mostly for forms, supply, and voters' education.)

“We understand the fiscal space na meron tayo pero sana sa amin maibalik kahit konti sa BSKE,” Garcia added.

(We understand the current fiscal space we have, but we hope that at least a small amount can be returned to us for the BSKE.)

‘Unused funds’

In an ambush interview, Garcia said the Comelec may realign its P13 billion unused funds for 2024 to fill the budget cut as he reiterated the funding was never intended for the controversial people’s initiative (PI).

“Hindi po pang-PI yun. Kung natatandaan po ng lahat noong nakaraang taon, ako ay nagmamakawa sa ating Kongreso na maibalik ang P17 billion na kinaltas at tinangaal sa amin. Pagdating sa bicameral conference committee, nagbalik ng P13B. 'Yung P1b for preparations, yung P1b dun nalagay sa item ng supervision and conduct of election, recall and initiative,” the poll chief said.

(That's not for the PI. If everyone remembers, last year I fought in our Congress to restore the P17 billion that was cut from our budget. During the bicameral conference committee, they returned P13 billion. The P1 billion is for preparations, and another P1 billion was allocated for the item on supervision and conduct of elections, recall, and initiative.)

“Ibig sabihin, pwede namin gamitin sa preparation ng halalan. Dahil kulang ang naibigay samin, gagamitin namin ang bigay na dagdag dun sa kabawasan na nawala samin,” he said.

(This means we can use it for election preparations. Since what was given to us was insufficient, we will use the additional funds to cover the deficit that we lost.)

The Senate subcommittee approved the poll body’s budget and deemed it submitted to the Plenary. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News