The Commission on Elections (Comelec) says Senator Francis Tolentino’s proposal to postpone the Baranagay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Negros Oriental on account of “political violence” needs to be studied fastidiously.
“It should be seriously and carefully studied by the Commission. Although admittedly, we have the power to postpone the election in an area, however, there are stringent requirements of the law. Aside therefrom, such a postponement is only up to 30 days,” Comelec chair George Garcia instructed reporters in a Viber message.
Tolentino floated the concept of postponement in the course of the Senate probe on the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo the place political killings within the province was mentioned.
“Baka magdulot ng karagdagang karahasan [sa Negros Oriental] kung matutuloy ang barangay elections. Kasi barangay po ‘yan, mas mainit po yan,” Tolentino said.
(If the barangay elections push through, it may cause additional election-related violence.)
Meanwhile, Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco mentioned the possible amendments to Republic Act 11935 as another option to postpone the polls.
“We believe that Hon. Tolentino’s advice is two-pronged: the primary is a name to his colleagues in each Houses of Congress for laws amending RA11935 in as far as the elections on the topic province being excepted from the nationwide synchronised Barangay and SK Elections,” Laudiangco mentioned in blended English and Filipino.
“In this case, as stated by [Comelec] Chairman [George] Garcia po, if there will be a law amending RA 11935 (if any) for these purposes, the COMELEC will comply and implement the same,” he mentioned.
Laudiangco additionally defined that the Comelec, with the assistance of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, must additional consider and verify the security and safety scenario prevailing within the space resulting in the times of the elections.
Section 5 of the Omnibus Election Code permits the Comelec to postpone the election on account of any critical trigger akin to violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of election paraphernalia or information, pressure majeure, and different analogous causes of such a nature that the holding of a free, orderly and trustworthy election ought to grow to be not possible in any political subdivision.
However, the election needs to be held at a date fairly near the unique date of the election and it shouldn’t be later than 30 days after the cessation of the trigger for such postponement.
Data introduced by the PNP on the Senate listening to confirmed that 43 elected authorities officers in Negros Oriental have been victims of gun assaults since 2016.
The numbers exclude the assaults on appointed authorities officers and civilians who have been harmed or killed on account of their political affiliations.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla already ordered the creation of a particular job pressure which might deal with the 23 instances of political killings in Negros Oriental, together with that of Degamo. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
