Will the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections be held next month or not?
The question popped up after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued a resolution postponing the implementation of the gun ban that was supposed to start last Thursday and end sometime in March.
“After due deliberation, the Commission deemed that there are compelling reasons to warrant the amendment of the election period for the efficient management of preelection activities in order to ensure the conduct of clean, fair and honest elections,” Resolution no. 9928 signed by Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes and six commissioners stated.
But in an interview, Comelec provincial officer Lionel Marco Castillano said the postponement was intended to: a) give Congress enough time to pass legislation that would either postpone the SK election to October 2016 in time for the next barangay election or b) pass legislation to amend the SK law.
Let’s see, aside from the ongoing Senate investigation into the alleged corruption committed by Vice President Jejomar Binay, is there anything else occupying the attention of the Upper House these days?
The Lower House is not in a hurry to pass a bill to postpone the SK elections or amend the SK law so the Comelec may only be waiting in vain for legislators to decide on an issue that they should have immediately addressed last year.
In fact, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes was emphatic in reminding lawmakers to decide on the SK elections, never missing an opportunity to take them to task for dragging their feet on the matter.
At least Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, who chairs the committee on electoral reforms, should have lobbied harder with colleagues in the Senate to hasten their decision to either postpone the elections or address possible amendments to the SK law.
The obvious and easier solution would have been to postpone the SK elections to October next year and hold it in tandem with the barangay elections in order to save on funds.
As it is, the Comelec would be forced to spend P2 billion on a political exercise that had a lot of people questioning the continued relevance of the SK, a political tool cooked up by the past Marcos regime in order to mobilize youth support for their continued stay in power.
The obvious answer to this foot-dragging lies in the value of these youngsters in mobilizing support for their elders in the national and barangay elections in 2016. Just feed them, house them and then have them board trucks to cajole and even campaign for their patrons wishing to run for office.
If the elders in office can’t decide right there and then on whether to postpone or amend the SK law, what can you expect from future SK leaders who are exposed to this brand of procrastination politics?
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