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Barangay, SK polls postponed in 1,732 villages


The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls were postponed in 1,732 areas (or 4.12 percent of the villages) nationwide, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said. "Out of 42,025 barangays, we have a figure of 1,732 that failed to function today which are scheduled to conduct their elections tomorrow," Comelec Election and Barangay Affairs Department director Teofisto Elnas said Monday. He explained that "failed to function" means that voting in those villages did not start before noon for either because of either:

  • a delay in the delivery of election materials, or
  • the damage caused by last week's super typhoon "Juan" in those areas. Elnas did not immediately release a complete list of the villages where elections were postponed. However, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the municipalities in Catanduanes, Albay, and Marawi City are included in these areas. Comelec Resolution 9078 says that if the election paraphernalia for a particular precinct fail to arrive at noon of October 25, the elections will be held on the succeeding day that is feasible. Section 5 of the Omnibus Election Code says that an election can only be postponed "for any serious cause such as violence, terrorism, loss or destruction of election paraphernalia or records, force majeure, and other analogous causes of such a nature that the holding of a free, orderly and honest election should become impossible in any political subdivision." The poll body, however, is only given 30 days to schedule the election in a certain area. The Comelec had earlier postponed the polls in the coastal municipalities of Divilacan, Palanan, and Maconacon in Isabela. It also postponed the conduct of elections in some villages in Legazpi for delayed deliver of poll materials and in San Isidro and Salumague in Paniqui, Tarlac due to flooding. The poll body likewise said it is considering declaring failure of elections in some villages in Datu Unsay and Datu Salibo in Maguindanao, and Butig, Tugaya, and Tamparan in Lanao Del Sur because of incidents of election-related violence. Data from national election monitoring center Data from the National Election Monitoring Action Center as of 11:30 a.m. showed that barangay and SK elections have been postponed in at least 1,599 barangays. In Region I, Pangasinan, 19 barangays have put off the elections, according to reports from Dagupan City. In Region II, the elections have been postponed in 123 barangays:
  • Isabela: 87 barangays, from the municipalities of Dinapigue, Jones, Maconacon, Palanan, and Divilacan
  • Nueva Vizcaya: 16 barangays, from Bagabag Municipality
  • Cagayan: 20 barangays, from Abulug Municipality In Region III, Tarlac, elections were delayed in 2 barangays, based on reports from the Municipality of Paniqui. Large-scale delays are most evident in Region V, where 1,433 barangays have reportedly postponed the elections due to non-availability of election forms and supplies:
  • Albay — 321 barangays, from the city/municipalities of Legaspi City, Bacacay,
  • Camalig, Oas, Libon, and Polangon
  • Sorsogon — 246 barangays, from the municipalities of Bulusan, Barcelona, Bulan,
  • Magallanes, Pilar, Prieto Diaz, Irosin, and Casiguran
  • Catanduanes — 315 barangays
  • Masbate — 551 barangays In Region 6, meanwhile, 22 barangays have also postponed the elections:
  • Capiz — 20, from the municipalities of Tapaz, Jamindan, and Sapian
  • Aklan — 2, from the Municipality of Libacao - with Larissa Mae Suarez, VVP, GMANews.TV