The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections reiterated their objection to the postponement of the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Monday and requested the Commission on Elections to determine a date for the conduct of the polls.
The group cited cited Article VI, Section 25 of the 1987 Constitution which states that no law shall be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations; however, the President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the heads of Constitutional Commissions may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the general appropriations law for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations.
Namfrel added that the Comelec has the only power to augment any item from their savings in other terms.
The citizens’ group also argued that stability and continuity has no worth if not back by a renewed mandate from the electorate.
“A lot has changed since the 2018 barangay and SK elections. After the last four years, incumbents have shown whether they could be trusted in carrying out their programs and projects. Let the people decide now if they have earned that trust and so deserve to continue,” the group said.
It added that every elections is inherently divisive as candidates campaign why they should lead their communities where Namfrel refuted the argument by the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms on the need to recover from the divisiveness of the 2022 national and local elections.