Comelec to face 'financial crisis' if a plebiscite pushes through in 2024

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 23) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it might face a "financial crisis" if it conducts a national plebiscite or referendum this year as it is gearing up for the 2025 midterm polls.

In a hearing at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Comelec Executive Director Teopisto Elnas Jr. said holding a national plebiscite or referendum might cost ₱13 billion as it is similar to conducting manual elections.

"Kung magkakaroon ng plebisito maybe August or September talagang kakapusin kami sa pondo because itong nadagdag sa amin ngayon, if I remember it right, ito po ay para sa preparatory ng national and local elections, special elections, nandun na rin, and recall," Elnas told the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms.

"Definitely magkakaroon ng financial crisis ang Comelec just in case matuloy kung ano mang national plebiscite na gagawin within this year," he stressed.

[Translation: If we conduct a plebiscite maybe in August or September, our funds will run out because the additional budget, if I remember it right, is for the preparation of the national and local elections. Funds for special elections and recall are also there. Definitely, Comelec would have a financial crisis just in case a possible national plebiscite is held within this year.]

He was responding to Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, who asked about the possible effect of holding a plebiscite to Comelec’s budget this year.

Elnas said the Comelec has a window for such an electoral exercise from August to September as the poll body is set to start its activities related to the midterm elections by October.

Filipino voters will cast their ballots in May 2025 to elect officials for cities or municipalities and provinces, as well as district representatives, and a set of senators.

But right after, Elnas said Comelec will have to hold the registration for new voters in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) set in December 2025.

"So 2025, talagang ano next to impossible na 'yong conduct ng plebisito (By 2025, it's next to impossible to conduct a plebiscite)," the poll official said.

Sen. Imee Marcos, as well as the Kabataan Party-list, earlier bared an alleged timeline for the charter change push through people's initiative, including a possible plebiscite in June.

READ: Imee Marcos reveals timeline for alleged plan to push for cha-cha via people's initiative

Comelec said over 800 cities and towns have received signature sheets for the people's initiative, which is proposing to modify a constitutional provision that would order the House and Senate to vote jointly, instead of separately, in amending the Constitution.

Senators in a statement decried that the apparent goal of the initiative is to dilute the vote of the 24-member upper chamber against that of the 316 members of the House of Representative. They said joint voting will remove checks and balances in the system and may be a prelude to further amendments, or even an overhaul of the Constitution.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Source on Jan. 11, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the ₱13 billion added by the bicameral conference committee to its ₱41-billion budget can be used to conduct a possible national plebiscite on charter change.

READ: Comelec: Additional ₱13B in 2024 budget can be used for possible Cha-cha plebiscite

But Garcia said the additional budget was supposed to be for preparations for the 2025 national polls and the BSKE in the same year.