(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the bill that postpones the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections scheduled on October 31, 2016 to October 23 next year.
This was announced at a press briefing in Malacanang by Assistant Secretary Marie Banaag of the Presidential Communications Office, quoting Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
“According to Executive Secretary Medialdea, it was already signed by the President but he would have to wait for the aircraft that would bring home the signed law for proper transmittal to the proper offices,” said Banaag.
After his trip to Brunei, the President will fly to China on Tuesday (October 18) for a four-day state visit.
This is the first bill that the President has signed into law.
Earlier, he pushed for the postponement of the barangay elections as he revealed that there were 5,000 barangay captains who are suspected to be involved in illegal drug operations.
Duterte, however, decided not to reveal the names of those in the new narco-list saying they were too many and that it was better that he forward the list to Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno.
“Hindi ko na kaya kasi if I read it, tapos magpapatayan. If I read all the names and they would start to cleanse themselves among themselves to prevent, you know, being drawn into the vortex of the shabu, mahihirapan tayo,” Duterte said in an earlier speech at the 115th founding anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard.