LC Comelec all set for brgy polls

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff Reporter

Laoag City election officer Atty. John Paul Martin said the local Commission on Elections office is now ready for the barangay elections this October 28.

Martin said they were also prepared for the Sangguniang Kabataan elections, which was supposed to be held simultaneously with the barangay elections.

The SK election was postponed after a law was passed by Congress and approved by Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III. In the said law, the SK election was reset to anytime between October 28, 2014 and February 23, 2015.

Martin reiterated that the filing of certificates of candidacy is from October 11 to 17. He added that the barangay election would be a manual election.

Under the Omnibus Election Code, Martin also disclosed that anyone who will run for any barangay elective position is entitled to spend only P5 for each voter.

Martin explained this further by saying that if the total number of voters in a barangay is 100, then a candidate is only entitled to have maximum expenditures of P500.

Meanwhile, Martin said that the petition for exclusion case for the 24 questioned residents at Barangay 28 this city is still pending at the court.

Martin hopes that a decision will come out on or before October 28 because if the decision comes out after the election, it becomes moot and academic.