THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said the P14 billion slashed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) from its budget request for 2025 will adversely affect not only its preparations for the midterm National and Local Elections (NLE) but also other programs and activities for other polls that will be held next year.

During the Comelec’s budget briefing at the Senate, Elections chairman George Garcia said the Commission made a budget request of P49 billion for next year, but was only allotted P35 billion by the DBM, or a funding cut of P14 billion.

Of the approved amount, Garcia said the Comelec is proposing P18 billion for the midterm polls, while P8 billion is earmarked for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) to be held in December.

He said the P14 billion cut will affect, among others, the expenses for support staff, including their honoraria, and for training and other expenses of teachers who will have election duties, which will cost an estimated P1.4 billion.

He said the other expenses would also include payment for the training venues, food, transportation, and forms and supplies for voters’ education.

Garcia said the Executive has approved a P2,000 across the board allowance for teachers who will have election duties during the midterm national and local elections.

However, he said, no budget was allotted for the BSKE.

“Pinaglaban namin at pinayagan naman kami ng Executive na magkaroon ng across the board na P2,000 ang lahat ng mga guro na maglilingkod sa National and Local Elections pero wala po yung P2,000 sa barangay and SK elections

(We pushed for and defended the P2,000 across the board budget for all teachers with election duties during the National and Local Elections, and this was approved by the Executive, but none was allotted for the barangay and SK elections),” he said.

Garcia appealed to senators to restore the slashed amount to give them the flexibility to adjust their planned elections spending.

PLEBISCITES, SPECIAL SK POLLS

Also yesterday, the Comelec announced through Comelec Resolution No. 11054 that it is temporarily suspending the conduct of plebiscites and special SK polls starting September 1, 2024 until after the December 1, 2025 BSKE.

“The Commission en Banc, by virtue of the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the Omnibus Election Code, and other election laws, hereby resolves to suspend the conduct of SKSE until further notice,” the resolution read.

It also stated: “(The Commission resolves) to suspend the conduct of all plebiscites effective 01 September 2024 and schedule the holding of said plebiscites within four months from the end of the election period for the 01 December 2025 BSKE.”

The Comelec back in June 2024 issued guidelines for the conduct of SKSE, which is necessary in barangays where the number of SK officials elected is less than the required quorum, or where no SK official has been elected at all after nobody filed the necessary Certificate of Candidacy during the BSKE 2023.

Plebiscites in Maguindanao del Norte, Presentacion town in Camarines Sur, Cauyan in Negros Occidental, and Parañaque City are also in the Comelec pipeline.

The poll body said the decision to suspend SKSE and plebiscites would allow the agency to concentrate on holding three electoral exercises in 2025 alone – the May 2025 NLE, the May 2025 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), and December 2025 BSKE.

“The forthcoming year 2025 is referred to as a ‘Super Election Year’ since three elections are about to take place… after the 2025 NLE and 2025 BPE, the Commission shall immediately commence the preparations for the 2025 BSKE,” the Comelec said.

“In order to concentrate all the resources of the Commission in the preparation of the 2025 NLE and 2025 BPE, as well as the 2025 BSKE, there is a need to suspend the conduct of SKSE and plebiscites,” it added.

With the SKSE and plebiscites suspended, the poll body said it will be able to concentrate on the creation of digital ballots, configuration of ballot faces and machines, and conduct tests for the Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) and Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS).

The Comelec also said it will now be able to focus on its procurement of goods, supplies, and equipment; conduct of continuing local and overseas voter’s registration; systems customization for FASTrAC and OVCS; delivery and acceptance testing of equipment and consumables; printing of accountable and non-accountable forms; and delivery of machines and hardware acceptance test.

PNP PREPARATIONS

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil has directed police commanders to prepare, as early as now, for next year’s elections, including the identification of areas of concern, according to PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo.

Fajardo said Marbil issued the directive during a command conference he presided over at the PNP national headquarters at Camp Crame on Wednesday.

“The directive of the chief PNP this early to the commanders on the ground is to identify the possible intense political rivalries, the potential election areas of concern,” said Fajardo, adding: We’re now on election mode.”

She noted that the filing of the Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) for the elections is set on October 1 to 8.

Fajardo said Marbil ordered field commanders to identify areas that have a history of violence during past elections. “These validated election-related incidents should be considered for purposes of deploying additional personnel this early,” she said.

Fajardo said such information are needed to be coordinated with the Comelec “for purposes of providing them some information in the categorization of areas.”

“We need not wait for them (candidates) to file their candidacies officially because this early, our commanders in the barangay may already be aware who are running,” said Fajardo.

“We should already have an idea as to rivalries, who have potential PAGs (private armed groups). These are some of the risk factors that should be determined by the ground commanders for purposes of requesting possible augmentation come filing of candidacy,” said Fajardo. – With Gerard Naval and Victor Reyes