House leader: ‘Oct village polls 99.9% sure’

MANILA, Philippines – The majority leader of the House of Representatives said Friday that, notwithstanding overwhelming support for postponement, the barangay elections scheduled for October are “99.9 percent” likely to push through.

“My gut tells me, and going by my experience as a lawmaker for many years, that the probability is 99.99 percent barangay elections (will be held) in October 2010,” Mandaluyong Representative Gonzales II said in a phone interview.

He cited the lack of time as well as the lack of agreement with the Senate on several key points.

Several House members want the village polls moved to 2011 because another election, mere months after the May presidential elections, would strain government coffers as well as theirs. And like the Commission on Elections (Comelec), they are against synchronizing the barangay elections with the national polls.

Senators, however, favor synchronized elections.

The Comelec has said it favors postponing the barangay elections but said Congress needs to pass a law to this effect in early September.

“There are divergent views, especially on the synchronization, this has to be threshed out,” Gonzales said.

He did see a way out of the – if President Benigno Aquino III immediately convene the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).

Aquino favors pushing through with the village polls but wants the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) abolished with only the youth council chairperson to elected as part of the barangay council.  He also wants the barangay elections synchronized with the national elections beginning May 2013.

“I doubt if the plenary can pass it on third reading in the next two weeks, and assuming it does, it will still go to the Senate for a reconciled version. Meantime, the Comelec continues preparations and by that time, it has already spent because the assumption is the elections will push through without a law yet. So what happens if we postpone it?” Gonzales said.

The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms will hold its second hearing on proposals to postpone the barangay polls on Monday.  There are 21 bills and two resolutions pending before the committee.