The Commission on Elections will continue to prepare for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) despite President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signing a law postponing the polls to next year, Comelec Negros Island Region Director Lionel Marco Castillano said on Thursday, August 14.
He said Comelec Chairperson George Garcia told them to continue the preparations because they anticipate that a petition may be filed before the Supreme Court (SC) questioning the constitutionality of the law.
Marcos on Wednesday signed Republic Act No. 12232, postponing the BSKE from December 2025 to November 2026, and fixing the term of office of village and youth officials at four years.
Under the new law, no barangay official may serve more than three consecutive terms in the same position, while SK officials may serve only one term.
The next BSKE will be held on the first Monday of November 2026 and every four years thereafter, the law states.
Castillano said if the SC issues a Temporary Restraining Order or declares the law unconstitutional, the Comelec will have to hold the BSKE this December.
So the Election Registration Board hearings for the approval or disapproval of those who applied for voter registration from August 1 to 10 will still be held on August 26, Castillano said.
The procurement of the Comelec’s requirements for the BSKE is also ongoing, but no awarding will take place, Castillano said, because everything will depend on whether a petition is filed before the SC.
Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya said he voted in favor of the postponement of the BSKE when he was in Congress.
Hopefully, even with the postponement of the BSKE, the barangay and SK officials will work with the same intensity for the good of their constituents, Gasataya said.
“I have manifested before that I am in favor of the postponement as it will allow the incumbents to serve for three years,” Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said.*