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Ni Estong Reyes
KINUWESTYON ni Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III ang plano ng Commission on Election (Comelec) na gawing automated ang 2025 Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Sa ginanap na deliberasyon ng Senate committee on finance sa panukalang P27.34 billion budget ng Comelec sa 2024, sinabi ni Pimentel na sayang lamang kapag ginawang automated ang 2025 BSKE.
“Why are we even exerting effort to automate BSKE? Why? You’re wasting your effort. Number one, this is not mandated by law. Number two, it’s going to be really expensive if you can pull it off,” ani Pimentel
“Aren’t [we] just getting sidetracked? [Let’s] just concentrate on the national and local elections. [Let’s] just concentrate on manual BSKE. What’s wrong?” dagdag niya.
Ngunit, ayon kay Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia na inaprubahan ng House of Representatives committee on electoral reforms ang resolusyon na inaatasan ang poll body na pag-aralan ang automated election ng BSKE sa 2025.
Iginiit ni Garcia na hindi maaaring magkaroon ng automated election sa BSKE sa ngayon dahil walang pondo.
“We will be very honest if you’re going to ask us — can we automate? The answer is no at this point. Why? [Because] there’s only a five-month difference between the election of May and December elections. If we will automate BSKE, the filing of certificate of candidacy for BSKE automated should be by May also of 2025 because we have to prepare the ballot[s] of 42,021 barangays in the entire country,” ayon sa poll chief.
