Barangay, SK poll postponement bill certified as urgent
President Rodrigo Duterte has certified as urgent the measures that will postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 23 after he publicly said he was not interested in appointing barangay officials to replace those on his drug list. PAUL JUN E. ROSAROSO AND KRISTINE JOYCE W. CAMPAÑA/File
MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has certified as urgent the measures that will postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 23 after he publicly said he was not interested in appointing barangay officials to replace those on his drug list.
Duterte has sent the official communications to the Senate where the measure was approved on third and final reading last Wednesday.
“We hope for the immediate enactment of the law and call on our citizens to support the measure as the Senate and the House of Representatives go for a bicameral conference to start working and harmonize their versions of the bill,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said yesterday.
Abella said the Palace welcomed the approval of Senate Bill No. 1584, or the Act Postponing the October 2017 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections, on its third and final reading.
“The President’s stance remains clear and consistent: he wants the barangay and SK elections to be postponed,” he said, referring to Duterte’s position arising from his belief that drug syndicates have penetrated nationwide the ranks of local and barangay officials who act as protectors of the drug racket.
Emerging from the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) at Malacañang last Wednesday night, Abella revealed that Duterte has also vowed to certify as urgent the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) and the long-awaited Bangsamoro Basic Law. – With Marvin Sy
- Latest
- Trending
