PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has postponed the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) three days before the filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COCs).
In a press briefing in Ilocos Norte on Friday, Malacañang Press Officer Claire Castro confirmed that Marcos has signed Republic Act 12326 deferring the elections scheduled for Nov. 2.
RA 12326 also extended the terms of current local and youth leaders from four years to five years.
“The additional time in office is additional time to serve,” Marcos said on a Facebook post.
He urged local officials to use the term extension to improve their service delivery, complete programs, and focus on the needs of their communities.
Castro said both the president and lawmakers recognized the critical role barangay officials play in addressing immediate community concerns.
Mobilizing local officials is vital for key initiatives, particularly in crime prevention through neighborhood patrols and local flood mitigation efforts by enforcing proper waste management systems.
“If an election were held right now, it would be difficult to immediately execute these critical programs,” Castro said.
With the signing of RA 12326, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will cancel all activities related to preparations for the BSKE.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the Commission en banc will issue a resolution canceling the preparations.
The filing of COCs will no longer proceed, Garcia said.
Based on the new law, the BSKE will be held in the second week of November 2028.
Garcia said he was aware that petitions could be filed before the Supreme Court questioning the legality of postponing the BSKE.
“As long as we are not stopped or we do not receive any restraining order from the Supreme Court, we have to maintain the status quo,” Garcia said.
Voter registration will reopen in the second week of November and continue until around July 30, 2027, Garcia said.
The extended registration period will allow voters to register, transfer or reactivate their registration, with their names potentially included in the 2028 National and Local Elections and the BSKE in November 2028.
Garcia said the new law also lifts prohibitions on social services and public works. Pending requests for exemptions will be returned because the prohibitions will no longer be in effect.
He said some elections materials would continue to be delivered because they had already been procured.
Suppliers may keep materials such as indelible ink in air-conditioned warehouses to prevent their quality from being compromised.
Ballots that have been printed and packed will be stored at the Comelec warehouse in Biñan, Laguna.
The commission will also continue printing posted voters’ lists and the lists of voters to be used inside polling precincts.
Garcia said this will allow the Comelec to print only the additional voters later, if necessary.
Garcia estimated that the Comelec had spent P8 billion preparing for the BSKE.
The remaining P10.9-billion budget will be used for preparations for the 2028 national and local elections.
Garcia said the Comelec had gone to Congress after nearly P15 billion was removed from its proposed budget under the executive branch.
He said this could compromise preparations for the 2028 elections.
“If that is P11 billion, we are short by only P4 billion. That P4 billion is the regular agency budget,” Garcia said.
The remaining funds will be used for preparations for the 2028 elections, which will be automated, he said.
Comelec estimates it will need about P21 billion for the national and local elections in 2028 and around P15 billion for the reset BSKE.
The BSKE preparations would require additional funds because there will be more voters, teachers, polling precincts, election paraphernalia and newly printed ballots, Garcia said.
He also said there will be a special election in Batanes on Nov. 28 to fill the vacant congressional seat following the death of Batanes Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. on Sept. 21.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co on Friday criticized President Marcos for the signing of RA 12326.
Co, House assistant minority leader, noted that the 2023 BSKE was held despite various crises, and the Comelec had already spent millions of pesos preparing for the polls.
“An extended term means more time to cling to power, especially when there is no clear basis for postponing the elections. They may call it a term extension, but the real objective is to postpone the BSKE,” Co said.
She said the postponement violated the democratic right of Filipinos, particularly young voters, to elect representatives at the local level.
Kamanggagawa Party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando also railed at the postponement, sarcastically saying barangay officials who have done little for their communities were celebrating the move.
San Fernando accused some barangay officials, captain and councilors of spending their time on activities such as distributing porridge instead of delivering meaningful services.
“Those who benefit from this are surely celebrating. The barangay officials who do nothing but distribute porridge are celebrating, along with their useless councilors and SK officials,” San Fernando said.
The BSKE postponement also drew mixed reactions from certain groups.
In a statement on Friday, Carl Andaya, the interim national chairman of the National SK Network, said he was disappointed with the decision.
“Today marks yet another important opportunity that has been postponed for our youth and our people,” Andaya wrote on his Facebook page in Filipino.
Andaya said elections are not merely dates, but a right of every citizen to choose their favored candidates and that these polls are more than just mere elections.
The Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas thanked the president for “providing a longer period for them to serve their communities.”
“Along with this renewed opportunity, the league encourages all village officials to further improve public service, strengthen their programs, and make every day of their term more meaningful for their fellow community members,” the league said in a statement in Filipino.
The Liberal Party of the Philippines (LP) on Friday said postponing the polls is merely a schedule matter and still wants the BSKE to proceed as scheduled.
“The mandate given by our fellow Filipinos in 2023 is clear. The next elections were set for 2026 so that the people may once again be entrusted with the choice of their barangay and SK officials,” the party said in a statement in Filipino.
“Therefore, if a clear timetable for the elections has already been established, it must be respected. Regular and periodic elections are an essential part of our right to vote and of our democracy,” it said.
