(Eagle News) — The Commission on Elections has asked Congress to push through with the postponement of this year’s barangay elections soonest, if indeed the polls will be postponed.
“What we’re asking is, if Congress actually pushes through with (the postponement), we’re asking them to do this as soon as possible. We need at least three months,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
According to Jimenez, this is because “we don’t want to be spending too much money on preparations.”
He said “as long as the law exists, as long as the law is there saying that we’ll have elections in October,” after all, “we will be spending money to prepare for it.”
“The major purchases aren’t yet in time. (But) there’s a timeline we’re following. Right now were focused on registration,” he said.
He said they were “also concerned that telling people that the barangay elections will be postponed, or creating this whole expectation it won’t push through, might actually drive registration numbers down” because of the confusion this would entail.
“In fact, the day the announcement came, we were pretty much deluged by questions if it would push through. So you’re looking at all of this. Announcement palang yan. As soon as a law is finalized, if it will ever happen, then better for everyone,” he said.
On Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte said he wanted to postpone the barangay elections this October.