The latest rumblings on the postponement of the 2017 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections is that the law will probably come out by September, at the earliest. Needless to say, this is simply what the word on the street is, with absolutely no confirmation one way or the other. However, it does provide ample food for thought.
Assuming that the postponement comes in the first week of September, that would put it at roughly six weeks prior to election day, scheduled for October 23, 2017. By that point in the electoral calendar—based on the relevant election laws—a lot will have already happened toward conducting the elections.
By early-July, for instance, the last day for the filing of petitions for the exclusion of voters will have already lapsed, signaling the start of the finalization of the list of voters to be used in the elections. By mid-July, filing of petitions for exclusion of voters will have already been barred, thus, paving the way for the certification and sealing of the List of Voters. These certified lists will then have to be posted for the public to inspect before the end of July.
With the List of Voters certified and sealed, ballot printing will begin promptly—signaling, among other things, the start of significant election-related spending by the Commission on Elections. Earlier this week the Comelec’s Election and Barangay Affairs Department released its staggering first estimate of the number of ballots that will have to be printed: 77,658,205.
The fourth week of August will be the period for the constitution of the members of the Boards of Election Tellers—the people who will be directly running the polling places on election day—and the Barangay Boards of Canvassers—the people who will be tallying up the precinct results and will eventually announce the winners. Once again, this will entail some cost, as those tapped for election duties will have to undergo training and orientation to ensure that they are capacitated for the work ahead.
At around the same time, the first of the election bans will kick in: the prohibition against the release of prisoners before and after elections.
Assuming, on the other hand, that the law postponing the elections comes out during the last week of September, then a number of other things will have happened on top of everything I’ve just outlined. Most critical of all, the period for the filing of certificates of candidacy will have already begun. Concurrently, the gun ban will have already started, as well as the prohibition on the use of security personnel or bodyguards by candidates.
Other bans will also be in effect, such as the prohibition on the transfer and detail of officers and employees in the civil service, including public-school teachers, and the suspension of any elective provincial, city, municipal, or barangay official. These proscriptions are very necessary for the conduct of free and fair elections as they prevent politically motivated movements in the civil service.
However, no matter how briefly they are in effect, these bans also significantly impact the government’s ability to function and provide services to the people.
With all of these things happening in the last six weeks—costing money and disrupting government operations—before scheduled elections, the question is begged: Why delay
the decision?