Senate suspends Comelec budget hearing after poll body fails to provide documents
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Finance has suspended the Commission on Elections' budget hearing after the poll body failed to provide documents requested by lawmakers.
These include a detailed computation for the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), update on the compensation of workers and data on overseas absentee voting.
“The BSKE with the outrageous demand of an additional P10 billion, you have not come back to me… the performance of the OFW, which while improved, continues to be more or less miserable,” Sen. Imee Marcos, finance committee chairperson, said.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed into law the postponement of the BSKE to October next year, instead of holding it this December. The poll body previously said that it would an additional P10 billion on top of the P8.4 billion allotted for the BSKE as it expects an increase in the number of registered voters.
READ: Law postponing Barangay, SK polls questioned before Supreme Court
The panel is also asking the poll body for further details on its contract with Smartmatic and its review on the previous elections. Comelec is also asked to submit a report on its efforts to curb vote buying.
READ: Poll watchdogs urge blacklisting of Smartmatic; Comelec stands by certification
The poll body told the Senate panel that it has yet to “discuss further” the documents requested. Comelec promised to submit the documents by 5 p.m. on Monday.
“We will submit definitely within this afternoon the documents as required and likewise we will make a computation as regards to the [BSKE], including what is being required by the chairperson when it comes to the overseas voting,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia told lawmakers.
However, Garcia said that even without the documents, the representatives from the Comelec were prepared to be grilled in the session.
“These are very reasonable issues and questions that the Comelec should be able to explain, or discuss what we’re doing with vote buying cases, and how many of those are currently pending before the commission,” Garcia told reporters.
In a separate interview with Marcos, she said it would be difficult for the Senate to endorse Comelec’s budget if they would not abide by their requirements. — Kaycee Valmonte with reports from Xave Gregorio
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