The Commission on Elections said on Monday that it will consider 10 barangays (villages) which were part of Makati City, as part of Taguig City in order to avoid voting problems during the Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
The poll body stated in a memo that the barangays located in Parcel 3 & 4, PSU-2031 can be considered as part of Taguig City in 2023 for the BSKE, citing a Supreme Court Resolution.
GETTING READY On Monday, August 21, 2023, the National Printing Office will print out ballots for the Barangay Elections and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections that will be held this October. Photo by ISMAEL DE JUAN
The 10 villages of the enlisted men’s barrio are included in parcels 3 and 4.
In 2021 the Supreme Court ruled the Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation, consisting parcels 3 and 4 PSU-2031, were part of Taguig.
Makati filed motions to challenge the ruling in both 2022 & 2023.
The Comelec recommended a number of procedural measures to facilitate the administrative transfers of voters and Electoral Precincts from Makati, to Taguig.
It has instructed its law department, based upon the Supreme Court’s decision, to develop a strategy to force the Makati government into allowing the use of schools as voting centres in the 10 villages.
The Comelec recommended that the election officials of the two cities create a list of new precincts, which reflects the changes. It also suggested that they prepare a list of new qualified electoral boards.
It also approved a recommendation from the Law Department that the Election Records and Statistics Department should provide the Information Technology Department with an updated coding scheme for the barangay.
The ERSD has been directed to reallocate BSKE form and supplies.
In a memo last week, the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG), instructed the cities of Makati and Taguig in matters related to the BSKE.
The DILG directed the two city governments to provide Comelec with assistance and support on election matters — including the venue for filing of certificates of candidacy (CoCs), residency requirements and locations of polling places — in the 10 villages that are the subject of a Supreme Court decision.
George Garcia, Chairman of the Comelec, said that the voters from the villages affected by the floods do not have to register for the combined elections scheduled on 30 October.
He said the voters of villages that were formerly part of Makati, will be automatically transferred from Taguig.
The period to file CoCs is August 28 to September 2 and the period to run the campaign is October 19 to 28,
Teachers’ Dignity Coalition has also called for an immediate end to the dispute between Taguig & Makati. They say that the teachers would be adversely affected by the lack of a smooth transition.
Benjo Basas called on officials in the two cities, saying that the well-being of students should be of paramount importance.
Basa said a smooth transition was needed to resolve the dispute that involved 30,000 public school students with only one week until the start of the new academic year.
Noel Meneses – the president of the Fort Bonifacio High School’s Faculty Club – had called earlier for an immediate solution to the jurisdictional issue. He stated that the first day of school in all public or private elementary and highschools across the nation will be August 29, 2023.