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Marcos expresses dismay at Comelec: Sen. Imee R. Marcos, during Monday’s hybrid hearing October 17, 2022 of the Finance Subcommittee I, defers the budget deliberation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) following the agency’s lack of preparation and its failure to submit the documents asked by her committee. “I was alarmed by the failure of the Comelec to produce the required information. I haven’t received the budget of barangay and SK elections for October 2023, payment of our workers, also regarding the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) and certain other issues that I requested. Nothing has been submitted except the old PowerPoint that is irresponsive to the inquiries of my colleagues,” Marcos said. In the previous hearing, the committee asked the Comelec to submit documents and its responses to the following issues: the breakdown of funding for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections originally scheduled in December and the projected increase of P10 billion for October 2023; the persistently low voter turnout among Filipinos overseas; the status of election workers’ compensation including controverted tax; Smartmatic’s continuing “stranglehold” on the election system; and solutions to vote-buying reported in the May 2022 national elections. In response, Comelec Chairperson George Erwin M. Garcia vowed to comply and submit the required documents as soon as possible. (Senate PRIB)