The Philippine Online Chronicles

Despite the use of the new automated elections system for the 2010 national elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be downgrading to the old manual method for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October.

"It might be manual... it's likely to be manual," said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez.

“Traditionally we have always had manual elections even though automated solutions are available. Why? Because for barangay and SK elections, we do not have consolidation on a nationwide scale,” he added.

According to Jimenez, there will be no need to consolidate the votes on a national scale, unlike in the May elections, and that it would be cheaper and more practical to opt for the pen-and-paper method of voting.

The 2010 national elections, which Comelec organized with technology and paraphernalia supplied by its corporate partner Smatmatic-TIM, cost P7.2 billion.

Incoming vice-president Jejomar Binay has suggested that there might no longer be a need for barangay-level elections, saying that barangay officials may be appointed by local executives, while the youth-run SK should be scrapped entirely.

Jimenez said that although Comelec is not in any position to favor or disfavor the changes, the elected Barangay and SK officials still “provide a certain amount of organization in society at that level."

The registration for the barangay polls will start on July 1 and end on July 31. The actual elections will take place on October 25.