MANILA—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is hoping the measure postponing the Nov. 2 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will become law before the scheduled filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) starts on Sept. 28.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said that the filing of COCs from Sept. 28 to Oct. 5 will proceed unless the postponement measure is enacted before then.

“The filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC) is scheduled for Sept. 28. Hopefully, the law becomes clear before that date; otherwise, the filing of COCs will proceed as planned,” Garcia said in a radio interview.

Garcia said the poll body cannot suspend its preparations despite the expected postponement because the measure still has to go through several steps before taking effect.

“Even though it is crystal clear that the BSKE might be postponed, since the House of Representatives appears to have adopted the Senate version, there is still a process involved. It has to be forwarded to the Palace, and it depends on whether the President signs it. There is a waiting period before it becomes law, and afterwards, the matter could be brought to the Supreme Court,” he explained.

The Comelec chief said preparations must continue in case the bill is not signed, is vetoed, or faces a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court.

“If we were to stop our preparations now, what would happen if the President doesn’t sign it, or exercises a veto, or if the Supreme Court issues a temporary restraining order (TRO)? That is why we cannot stop; otherwise, we might not be ready for the election on Nov 2 should any of those scenarios occur,” Garcia added.

Among the ongoing preparations are the training of teachers who will serve on Electoral Boards and the deployment of election equipment and paraphernalia.

Garcia said the Comelec needs to immediately train teachers because the BSKE is conducted manually, unlike automated national elections.

“Regarding teacher training: teachers are accustomed to automated elections. Although, the BSKE is a manual election, many new teachers are not familiar with the manual process. Training needs to start immediately. We are mobilizing one million teachers; that isn’t something that can be covered in just a week of training,” the head of the Commission said.

He also said election equipment must be deployed early because recalling it after shipment would be costly.

“Secondly, there is the deployment of equipment. That process takes a very long time. Once the equipment is deployed, it cannot be recalled; doing so would be too costly. It needs to be shipped out by the first week of October,” he added.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives adopted the Senate-approved measure seeking to move the BSKE to November 2028. The proposal also provides five-year terms for barangay and youth officials.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said he would review the bill’s provisions before deciding on the measure./PNA