Comelec Cebu ready for May elections but awaits final decision

WHILE the Commission on Elections (Comelec) relies on the country’s legislators to decide whether or not to again postpone the synchronized village and youth polls set this May, Comelec – Cebu provincial supervisor, lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, hopes that both the Senate and the House of

Representatives, come up with a final decision very soon with May, just two months away.

“Definitely, we will always abide with the wisdom of Congress but we hope they are certain with their decision so that funds from the Comelec will not be wasted,” said Castillano.

Earlier, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, filed separate bills seeking to postpone the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections this May to October this year.

But the Malacañang and Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, said that they saw no reason to push back the schedule of the elections after both polls have already been postponed twice, from May 2016 to October 2017, and then to May this year.

Pimentel, in an interview, pointed out that there was no more time to pass a law allowing the postponement as there were only 12 days left before Congress goes on recess.

“Everyone is prepared, the Comelec is ready [for the elections] and so are the candidates and the voters,” Pimentel had said.

For his part, Castillano said that postponing the barangay and youth polls for the third time would entail overlapping schedules for Comelec as they are expected to prepare for the May 2019 Senatorial and Local Elections by July.

“If that’s the case, that would be really difficult for Comelec. The May 2019 elections is an automated one so we should have one year to prepare. By July, that’s the latest period we can start with the preparations,” said Castillano. /with INQUIRER.net