Binay: LGUs will not foot bill for SK, b’gay polls

Makati Mayor and United Opposition president Jejomar Binay yesterday disagreed with Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials after the poll body said local government units (LGUs) are supposed to shoulder 25 percent of the expenses for the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October.

“Why should any portion of the expenses for the upcoming elections be taken out of the budget of LGUs? The Comelec is in charge of all elections, and, therefore, all election-related expenses,” Binay said.

He said LGUs are not required under the present laws to share in election-related expenditures, specifically citing Republic Act (RA) 9340, which amended RA 9164, or the Synchronized Barangay & SK Elections Act.

“The law clearly states that all funds for this particular election are to be taken from the Comelec appropriation and from its savings. If needed, these funds may be augmented by an amount not exceeding  10 percent of the SK budget; there is no mention of a 25-percent share from LGUs,” Binay pointed out.

He added that since the budget of LGUs is prepared a year in advance, as it is for national government agencies, no funds have been appropriated for this purpose.

“Besides, some LGUs are already hard-pressed just meeting their payroll requirements, so how can they afford to share 25 percent of their budget for the elections?” Binay said.

Binay said if there is inadequate budget for the elections, the Comelec might as well postpone or cancel the elections altogether.

“I have long proposed anyway, that barangay chairmen and even SK officials just be appointed by the incumbent mayors. This way, we will be able to ensure cooperation and teamwork among the mayors and the barangay officials,” Binay said.

He added that allowing incumbent local chief executives to appoint barangay and SK officials would help do away with too much and unnecessary politics at the grassroots level, as well as save on election expenses.