SK polls deferred anew
>> Wednesday, April 1, 2015
EDITORIAL
Politicians
itching to field their children or relatives as bets for Sangguniang Kabataan
(SK) polls may have to wait a little longer.
The Commission on Elections
(Comelec) has again decided to move back the start of the election period for
SK polls from April 10 to May 10 even as both the Lower House and Senate passed House Bill 5209 further postponing SK polls according to Baguio
Rep. Nicasio M. Aliping, Jr.
Aliping said “the bill was transmitted to the
office of President Benigno Aquino III on February 25, 2015.”
He said if the bill is not signed by the end of
the prescribed deadline, which is one month after its transmittal to the
President’s office, it will automatically pass into law.
The
Comelec had previously recommended that the SK elections be held on April 25.
The
Comelec, through Resolution No. 9934, noted that “there is a necessity to
adjust further the start of the election period in the calendar of activities
and periods of certain prohibited acts.”
The
agency Tuesday said the move was meant to “avoid a situation wherein the
prohibition on certain acts is already effective, only to be nullified later on
when House Bill No. 5209 becomes a law.”
Such
prohibited acts include the implementation of a gun ban, prohibition of the use
of security personnel or bodyguards by personnel and transfer of government
workers including public school teachers.
The
bill which seeks to postpone the SK polls to the last Monday of October 2016 is
awaiting action by President Aquino. The Comelec believes that if the bill is
not signed by April 4, it will automatically lapse into law.
On
Oct. 21, 2014, the Comelec issued Resolution 9905, setting the conduct of SK
elections on Feb. 21, 2015.
The
poll body had moved the schedule again to April 25 by virtue of Resolution No.
9930, promulgated last Feb. 5.
The
election period is supposed to start on March 26.
Aliping, one of authors of consolidated House
Bill 5209, said SK
elections was first scheduled on October 2013.
It was entitled “Postponing the Sangguniang Kabataan elections to the last Monday of
October 2016, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 9164.”
Aliping said “postponement of SK elections
was brought about by urgent need for reforms in the Sangguniang Kabataan.”After
the postponement, several bills introducing reforms were filed and are
currently being
deliberated as possible amendments to the
Local Government Code of 1991(RA No. 7160).
“These changes will give more meaning and
greater impact on the Sangguniang Kabataan
if the desired reforms are firmly in place before the leaders and officials are
elected,” Aliping said.
The move to postpone the election was met
with opposition by some sectors. National Youth
Commission chairman Leon Flores III said that delaying the polls is a “de facto
abolition” of the system.
Aliping however said there will be no abolition but “the postponement will allow Congress more time to legislate the
appropriate amendments to applicable provisions of the Local Government Code
affecting the Sangguniang Kabataan.”
“With the postponement, the youth who will
aspire to be elected as officials of the renewed Sangguniang Kabataan will have
sufficient time to familiarize themselves with their roles, functions, duties
and responsibilities as youth leaders,” said Aliping.
He said the next elections for barangay and
SK officials who will be working closely together in their respective barangays
will again be synchronized.Several sectors, he said support the move to
synchronize barangay and SK elections.
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