THE leader of the House of Representatives on Wednesday said the government could save at least P24 billion in postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections scheduled on October 31.
House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez said the government may use this P24 billion to hike the pay of purok leaders, barangay health workers, barangay tanods and day-care workers.
Alvarez said these workers are the ones really working in earnest to deliver services to the residents of their villages, yet they receive very little pay.
The Speaker said the estimated annual budget for the SK is around P8.5 billion, while that for barangay kagawads is around P15.8 billion.
Also, Alvarez said the postponement of village polls will give Congress enough time to enact laws abolishing the SK and the position of barangay kagawad.
“If we move the [barangay] elections to 2017, I think we have enough time to amend the Local Government Code, so that by 2017—if Congress will agree on my proposal to abolish the barangay kagawads and the SK—we will be only electing the barangay captain,” he said.