‘No SK election failure in Tarlac’

TARLAC CITY - The local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office has ruled out the possibility of a failure of Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in barangays here which lack or totally have no candidates.

In a statistical report, the Comelec office, headed by Edna Garcia, said Barangays Bantog, located inside the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita, and San Nicolas in the city proper do not have even a single candidate for SK councilor.

Bantog though has three candidates for SK chairman, and San Nicolas, the city’s fifth biggest barangay, has only one.

Moreover, in Barangays Aguso, Baras-Baras, Bora, Cutcut-I and II, Mapalacsiao, Mapalad, Paraiso, Poblacion, Salapungan, San Luis, San Pablo, San Roque, Sta. Cruz and Sinait, there are less than seven candidates for SK council seats.

An SK council has seven elective seats, although the number can be increased proportionate to a barangay’s youth population.

Provincial Comelec chief, lawyer Emmanuel Ignacio, however, told reporters that despite the lack of SK candidates, the political exercise will push through on July 15, simultaneously with the barangay polls.

As long as there are candidates for the position of SK chairman, he said the youth polls will be held as scheduled.

However, Comelec officials are at a loss on how to address the problem of a barangay having no SK councilors.

Ignacio said the Comelec will declare failure of elections only when a formal complaint for such action is filed, or when subversive and terrorist groups will prevent the holding of the elections.

The seeming lack of interest of the youth sector in the coming polls is also evidenced by the fact that 16 of the city’s 76 barangays have only one candidate for the position of SK chairman.

This city has a total of 188 candidates for SK chairman, and 847 for SK councilors.