Approximately 100 candidates in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) were disqualified by the Commission on Elections (BSKE) due to various violations.
At the same time, the Comelec also announced the passing of a resolution suspending the proclamation of the 500 BSKE candidates if they win the election. This is because of their pending cases from premature and illegal campaigning and complaints of vote buying.
Issuing such a resolution is their early solution in case they do not immediately resolve the many disqualification cases filed against them before the October 30 election.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia promised they would finish resolving the pending cases a week or two after the election.
The winning candidates with no pending disqualification cases are expected to be proclaimed immediately on the evening of October 30.
A winning candidate can also take office immediately upon taking the oath. This is based on the decision of the Supreme Court that the term of the current barangay officials must have ended in 2022, so they must be immediately replaced or re-appointed with a new mandate if they win again.
Comelec disqualifies 100 BSKE candidates
Before sitting, the candidate must have passed his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) 30 days after the election.
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte visited the Comelec Main Office in Intramuros to see the Command and Operations Center built for the BSKE.
According to Garcia, Duterte, who is also acting secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), asked to ensure the safety and welfare of the teachers who will rule the election.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) assured it has enough manpower at the airports to service passengers who will travel in and out of the country during the Undas break.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that its personnel deployed in all major international airports remain sufficient to cater to the needs of the traveling public.
He added that as previously practiced, officers are disallowed from going on vacation leaves during the peak season.
He said that the agency expects a surge of travelers in the next few weeks, and projects a total of four million arrivals for the entire 4th quarter of 2023. The BI also projects around 3.8 million departures from October to December.
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