THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that it is seeking an additional P4.3-billion budget to cover its spending for the youth and village elections next year.
“In our country, if there is a resetting of elections, always there will be an additional budget requirement,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia told a Senate budget hearing on Wednesday.
Comelec was earmarked P11.52 billion under the proposed 2026 national budget, 36.2% lower than its P18.06-billion proposal.
“The deducted P6.22 billion budget, it’s already okay with us. But we’re appealing for additional budget for BSKE (Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections),” he added.
He added that Comelec needs up to P8.79 billion for the upcoming polls.
The village and youth council elections, originally set for Dec. 1, was postponed until next year to allow the commission to focus on the first Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s parliamentary elections in October.
The BSKE election is scheduled for November next year.
Mr. Garcia said that the additional P4.33 billion will be used to cover the P2,000 honoraria of poll workers, hiring electoral board support staff, and other electoral equipment.
Earlier, the commission said that it is proposing to allocate funding to provide P2,000 for poll workers during the 2026 village and youth council elections. — Adrian H. Halili
