SK, poll Comelec expenses waste of taxpayers’ money

EDITORIAL

Call it government ineptitude and waste of taxpayers’ money. According to the Commission on Elections, the poll body spent P900 million to print ballots for the postponed barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

             If Congress made a decision earlier to postpone the elections, the money wouldn’t have been wasted. The Comelec said they had to print the ballots to meet the timetable even as Congress has still not decided on the postponement.

President Duterte later signed Republic Act 10952 postponing the  barangay and SK elections from Oct. 23 this year to May 2018.

According to Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista, P900 million was spent for printing 59.5 million ballots for Luzon and the Visayas. Ballots for Mindanao were not printed as the Comelec had earlier cancelled the elections due to the implementation of martial law.

He said P350 million went to other expenses such as salaries of election personnel. Bautista said only P550 million could be used for the elections next year and the Comelec will have to conduct the 2018 elections first. The 2019 voters’ registration will happen after the 2018 barangay and SK elections. Bautista said the Comelec spent almost P1 billion preparing for the barangay and SK polls. He bared total budget of the Comelec for the barangay and SK polls was around P7.6 billion, but P900 million was already spent.

Now, the Comelec will resume voters’ registration from Nov. 4 to 6. The poll body said registration period is intended especially for those who will turn 15 years old by May 14, 2018 so they could participate in the SK elections.

Filipino citizens who are 15 years old but not more than 30 years old on or before election day and residing in the barangay for at least six months can register to participate in the SK elections.

               Qualified to vote in regular elections are Filipino citizens at least 18 years old on or before election day, a resident of the Philippines for at least one year, and residents in the place where they plan to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the elections.

The Comelec decided to shelve the voters’ registration from December 2017 to September 2018 for the midterm elections in May 2019.  

Bautista said the Comelec spent almost P1 billion preparing for the barangay and SK polls. “Our total budget is around P7.6 billion, but we have spent more or less P900 million.”