Aquino may veto bill postponing barangay polls

President Benigno Aquino III, hopeful that the barangay elections will push through this year, may veto a bill seeking to postpone the said polls to May 2013, a Malacañang official said Sunday. In a radio interview, Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office said vetoing the bill is one of the options Aquino could take regarding the issue. “Either i-veto. Posibleng mangyari iyan (Aquino could veto the bill. That’s possible)," Carandang told Radyo ng Bayan. Carandang said that at present, Aquino is talking with his allies in Congress to convince them to allow the barangay elections to proceed this year as scheduled. Several lawmakers are proposing that the barangay elections be synchronized with the local and national elections in May 2013 in order to save money. Carandang said Malacañang prefers to conduct the polls this year and then shorten the term of the winning barangay officials by a few months by holding another one in May 2013 instead of exercising the President’s veto power. He said members of House majority met Sunday to discuss this arrangement. The three-year term of those who will win in October should end in October 2013. Carandang said to be able to do this, a new law must be passed. “Kailangan isabatas ito kasi kung gagawin natin ito, in effect iiklian natin ang termino ng mga mahahalal sa October, so kailangan nila ng batas para magawa iyan," he said. (There must be a law, because if we do this, we in effect will be shortening the terms of those who will be elected in October.) - KBK, GMANews.TV