MANILA, Philippines – Voting 21-0, the Senate on Monday, September 30, approved on 3rd and final reading the bill postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to December 5, 2022.

Senate Bill No. 1043 is pushing to hold the village and youth polls in 2022, with the proposal to conduct subsequent elections every 3 years.

Initially, the Senate panels on electoral reforms, local government, and finance proposed the postponement of the polls to May 2023, but it was changed over the concern on current officials holding office for “too long.”

Senator Imee Marcos, the sponsor of the bill, had said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) already gave assurances that they can manage the logistics of holding two elections in the same year.

A different narrative happened at the House of Representatives though, with the Comelec urging congressmen to refrain from scheduling it during a national election year.

The May 2023 proposal has hurdled the committee level in the lower chamber. – Rappler.com