The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said they are ready to conduct the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) even if the Supreme Court (SC) decides to schedule it at an earlier date, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said.
Garcia made the comment after being asked about the pending decision of the high court on the petition questioning Republic Act 11935 which postponed the December 2022 barangay polls to October 2023.
“Under our worst case scenario, kung sabihin man na mas maaga dapat sa October ang ating eleksyon katulad ng aming sinabi, handa naman ang Comelec,” Garcia said during a press conference.
Comelec Commissioner Rey Bulay, the commissioner-in-charge for the BSKE, shared that all materials to be used for the 2023 elections were already sent before the end of 2022.
The Comelec chief also assured the public that the commission will not stop printing the ballots for the BSKE before the end of January or after the printing of the ballots for the special election in Cavite.
“Kahit pa October mas maganda nang maaga. Iiimbak lang naman namin nang maayos e. Iwe-warehouse lang naman namin nang maayos e. Bakit isasagad pa namin tapos pag sumagad magkakaproblema na naman tayo. So mas maganda na ayusin na lahat tutal naman ininsist na ni Comm. Rey Bulay na naandyan na lahat ng kagamitan and therefore, kung sakali mang sabihin saming mas maaga [ang polls], the Comelec is prepared,” he said.
During the same press conference, Garcia said that he is hopeful that the SC will release its decision this month.
He is banking on Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo’s assurance that the SC will resolve all the petitions of national concern by the end of January.
“We agree na dapat, hopefully, sana mga January ma-resolve na ‘yung issue at mukhang nakalista don sa number one na item don e ‘yung i-resolve ang tungkol sa issue ng BSKE…Kasi nga po hanging pa rin ‘yung mga desisyon dahil din don sa issue na iyan,” he said.
“But just the same, nagdesisyon na ang komisyon na proceed na lang kami nang proceed. It doesn’t matter whatever is the decision of the Supreme Court. If it’s October, fine. We are prepared by October. If it is May, fine we are prepared by May or whatever the month na gugustuhin ng ating Korte Suprema,” he added.
— Ronald Espartinez