Comelec asks Congress: Stop SK polls

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday called on Congress anew to pass the measure deferring the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to avoid wasting millions of pesos.

Comelec Commissioner Lucenito Tagle said legislators should approve House Bill 5209 before the poll body could go full blast on its preparations for the SK elections.

He noted that in the absence of a law deferring the SK elections, the Comelec has no choice but to start the bidding process for the election materials for the February 2015 electoral exercise.

“We are getting ready, but money will be wasted if we released the fund only to find out later that the elections will not push through. Big money is involved here,” Tagle explained in Filipino.

The Comelec has allocated P300 million to 400 million for the conduct of the SK polls on Feb. 21.

Some P22,767,784.40 has been allocated for the forwarding services for the deployment of election forms, supplies and paraphernalia. It is divided into four projects: for Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions I, II and III; National Capital Region, Regions IV-A, IV-B and V; Regions VI, VII and VIII; and Regions IX, X, XI, XII, Caraga and ARMM.