Not next year, SK polls in October 2016

CEBU, Philippines - The House of Representative approved on third and final reading last Monday the bill postponing again the Sangguniang Kabataan elections to the last Monday of October 2016.

A Philippine STAR report said House Bill 5209, which seeks to reset the youth council elections from February 21 next year, was passed with a vote of 193-8.

The bill was authored by Representatives Nicasio Aliping Jr. of Baguio City, Mariano Piamonte of A-Teacher party-list, and Eulogio Magsaysay Jr. of AVE party-list.

“(The) House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms chairman Fredenil Castro said resetting the elections would give Congress time to pass amendments to the SK Law,” read the report.

Once President Benigno Aquino III signs the bill into law, this would be the second time that the SK elections get postponed.

The first was through Republic Act 10632, which reset the youth council elections originally slated October 2013 to February 21, 2014 to pave the way for Congress to legislate reforms in the current SK system.

Prior to the passage of the bill, the Commission on Elections said it was preparing for the February 2015 elections.

”We are on track with the preparation pursuant to the calendar of activities. Postponement is not only timely, it is mostly welcome,” said Cebu Provincial Election Officer Ferdinand Gujilde.

He earlier expressed favor for the postponement of SK elections, saying the first postponement has not yet served its purpose.

“We welcome the postponement, if any. For if we push through with the SK elections, we will defeat the purpose why we reset the 2013 (SK) elections, that is to give way to SK reforms,” he had said in a text message to The FREEMAN.

Comelec-Cebu recorded a total of 122, 478 would-be voters to the SK elections if it would have pushed through next year. The number includes the 83,421 qualified voters who registered July last year.

There are already numerous versions of bills pending in Congress that seek to either reform the current SK system or abolish it.—(FREEMAN)