AMENDMENTS. The Supreme Court (SC) says rules on Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan election protests have been amended during the High Court’s en banc deliberations on Tuesday (August 29, 2023). One of the changes is the provision for an initial recount of ballots of a sampling of “pilot protested clustered precincts”.  (PNA file photo)

MANILA – The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced amendments to the rules covering the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSK) election protests before the lower courts.

In a statement, the tribunal said the amendments were approved during the SC’s en banc deliberations on August 29.

Among the amendments include a provision for an initial recount of ballots of a sampling of “pilot protested clustered precincts”.

“This initial recount is intended to determine whether the protest is meritorious upon showing by the protestant of at least 20 percent substantial recovery from the overall vote lead of the protestee,” the court said.

The rule shall apply prospectively to all BSK election protests and is seen to “provide for expeditious, inexpensive and just determination and disposition of such election contests.”

The new amendments also incorporate revisions made in the court rules on civil procedure in 2019 such as the judicial affidavit rule, which reduces into writing in a question-and-answer format the direct testimony of a witness.

The 2023 Amended Rules shall take effect 15 days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation or in the Supreme Court Official Website, but its effectivity shall in no case be later than October 15, 2023.(PNA)