In a statement, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said all poll paraphernalia and supplies needed in holding the poll exercise will be ready to be used at least 10 full months before Election Day.
“All the supplies for the preparation in holding the BSKE next year will be delivered on or before December 31 of this year,” said Garcia.
“We are geared at putting up all that is needed ahead of time,” he added.
The poll chief said the early preparations they are doing is proof that their actions are not dependent on the uncertainty surrounding the holding of the village and youth polls.
This, he said, is amid the continued uncertainty on whether the BSKE shall be held in December 2022 or October 2023.
“We must always be ready anytime an electoral exercise is scheduled and called for,” he said.
“As we have committed in the past, if Congress or Supreme Court tells us to hold the elections, then we have to follow,” added Garcia.
In October, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act (RA) No. 11935, which pushes back the December 5, 2022 polls to the last Monday of October 2023.
The legality of RA 11935, however, was questioned by election lawyer Romulo Macalintal and is now pending before the Supreme Court. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)