Senator Imee Marcos during an ambush interview with the Cebu media in a hotel in Mandaue City on Saturday, August 6, 2022. | CDN Digital File Photo | Wenilyn B. Sabalo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continues to study proposals to move the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections scheduled on December 5 to another date.
Senator Imee Marcos said the President is yet to decide on the matter.
“What I know is that he is studying the options of December (2022) or March (2023) because there are several lobbies suggesting that we do it right away, and there are others who, on the other hand, say that we need a little breathing space. So, wala pang decision, ang alam ko,” she said in an interview during her Cebu visit on Saturday, August 6.
The Senator is also the head of the senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation.
Senator Marcos, on Saturday, said that some lawmakers are pushing for the postponement of the elections in order to “heal” first the wounds that were caused by the May 2022 national and local elections. But there are also others who believe that there is now a need to elect a new set of barangay officials to help the Marcos administration.
Personally, Marcos said, she favors a postponement of the barangay and SK elections.
“Pwede, pero wag natin masyadong i-postpone. Alam natin yung ibang SK naka graduate na. Hindi na nakatira sa kanilang mga barangay. Hindi na mahanap dahil nag-aaral, nagtatrabaho na sa ibang bansa. Eh hindi naman ata tama yun…And there are no youth sector representatives as a result. I think our youth sector is hard done by that sort of absence,” she explained.
Marcos, earlier, filed a bill that seeks to reschedule the barangay and SK elections from December 5, 2022 to March 2023, but the said bill is still subject of ongoing discussions.
Here in Cebu, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan has expressed his support to a postponement of the December 5 barangay and SK elections.
READ: Chan backs plan to postpone barangay, SK polls in December
Chan said it would be costly for the country to be spending on another election this year.
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