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“But there is also a majority who did not make a stand because for them, it's only Congress which can determine that,” Nalupta said.
Three bills are pending in the House seeking to postpone the barangay and/or SK elections from May 2002 to May 2005.
Rep. Manuel Ortega cites the “serious financial and economic difficulties buffeting our country.” He said that the barangay and SK elections would cost two billion pesos.
Ortega further proposed that this fund instead be used for the Comelec's computerization program “thus ensuring fair and accurate voting and speedy counting in the elections of our national and local officials.”
Rep. Herminio Teves made the same proposal in his bill. He said the budget for the barangay and SK elections, which he said would cost 1.8 billion pesos, should be used for the Comelec computerization which he said needs 3.5 billion pesos.
Teves noted that those who clamor for a change in leadership in the barangay should resort to the system of recall.
Rep. Isidoro Real said holding the barangay and SK elections next year would be “ill-timed'' because the country has just been through the May 14 elections this year.
He said postponing the elections would “provide all of us the much-needed space and time to concentrate on working to resolve the multifarious problems the country is facing today.”
Critics of the bills see a political reason for proposals to hold the elections in 2005.
Nalupta however thinks that the funding issue is not a valid reason for seeking postponement of the SK elections.
“I think that is moot and academic because there is a DBM (Department of Budget and Management) opinion that the funds for the SK elections would not come from the general appropriations but from the funds of the SK,” he said.
He said this was the opinion given him by Eduardo Opida, director of the DBM Legal and Legislative Service.
Nalupta even offered to go to the Comelec to point this out so that it could already issue the resolution giving the go-signal for the elections.
Carlos Tan Derecho, director of the National Barangay Operations Office of the Department of Interior and Local Government, supports Nalupta's view.
“There is a provision that the funds for the election of the SK would also come from their own funds,” Derecho said.
Derecho said the department supports the pronouncement made recently by President Macapagal to leave to Congress the decision on whether the SK elections would be deferred.
“But personally, I believe it's better for us to have the elections as scheduled. They (SK members) should have a mandate from the people,” Derecho said.
NYC's Aquino issued a call for the youth to participate in the elections, either as members of the KK in every barangay or as SK candidates.
“All of those who are there now (SK) would have to go. We're looking at a whole new generation of SK members,” Aquino said.
But for that to happen, the national government should make its position clear and exert the political will to comply with the constitutionally-mandated elections for its youth government.
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Comments
SK Election Postponement Retchie | Aug 8th, 2010
To whom it may concern;
Good day! For me it's a good idea to move the election for SK and extend the range of age from 15 to 21. We should make our SK chairman to be matured enough to guide our youth for them to become productive in our community.
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