THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced Friday that the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will proceed as scheduled using a manual voting system.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the poll body has not received any new legislation that would postpone the elections or alter existing procedures.
"The elections will remain manual," Laudiangco said.
The election period, he noted, will run from Oct. 3 to Nov. 9, 2026, while the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) is scheduled from Sept. 28 to Oct. 5.
The campaign period will be from Oct. 22 to Oct. 31, with Nov. 1 designated as the eve of the election when campaigning is prohibited. Election day is set for Nov. 2, 2026.
Laudiangco reminded aspiring candidates that premature campaigning is prohibited in village and youth council elections.
Unlike national and local elections, where a Supreme Court ruling effectively allows candidates to campaign before the official campaign period because they are not considered candidates until the start of the campaign, barangay and SK elections are governed by a different rule under the Omnibus Election Code.
Laudiangco warned that violators will face election offense charges.