Manila, April 14 -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday reported that PHP3 billion of the PHP19 billion budget for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) has been spent in line with ongoing preparations for the polls set on Nov. 2

"The BSKE budget is PHP19 billion. Comelec has already spent PHP3 billion since we started preparing, because we have already procured some materials. The remaining PHP16 billion is still with the DBM (Department of Budget and Management), not yet with the Comelec," Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in an interview.

The poll body chief explained that the bulk of the budget is allocated to the honoraria of teachers who will be serving during the polls.

"65 percent of the...