Voters’ registration slated August for b’gay, SK polls

 EDITORIAL

The Commission on Elections is preparing for the 2020 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections even if President Rodrigo Roa Duterte called for its postponement during his State of the Nation Address on July 22.

               Comelec Baguio Election Officer John Paul Martin said the electoral government agency will continue its activities for the 2020 BSKE starting with resumption of voters registration in August.

“Until and unless there is a law formally passed by the legislature, we will conduct activities as scheduled based on our timeline,” Martin said.

                “We understand the purpose of another postponement of the 2020 BSKE as mentioned by our President during the SONA 2019. However, the ball is not in our hands. As chief implementers of election laws, we will still continue with our preparations with the scheduled elections,” he added.

Martin said that they are hoping and praying that both houses of Congress should immediately act on the proposed postponement of the 2020 BSKE to spare the government with expenses relative to COMELEC’s preparations. COMELEC has at least 10 months to prepare for the scheduled May 2020 BSKE should it push through.

Duterte signed into law Republic Act 10952 on October 2017, postponing the Oct. 23, 2017 barangay and SK polls until the second Monday of May 2018.

RA 10952 also scheduled the next synchronized barangay and SK elections on the second Monday of May 2020 and every three years thereafter.

                Relative to this, the Comelec on July 18 promulgated Resolution No. 10549 or the rules and regulations on the resumption of the system of continuing registration of voters for the 2020 BSKE.

 Martin said that Comelec will open the voter registration period which will run from August 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019.

Applications may be filed from Mondays to Saturdays including holidays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Office of Election Officers or any satellite registration site in the locality where the registrant resides.

                A Filipino citizen who is not yet a registered voter, who will be 18 years of age on May 11, 2020, and residing in the barangay for at least six months on or before Election Day is eligible to register for the barangay election.

For the SK elections, those who will be at least 15 but not more than 30 years of age on election day may register.

Registered voters as of the May 13, 2019 midterm elections need not apply.