Comelec wants early word on possible BSKE postponement

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections is asking Congress to decide by the second week of September whether the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) will push through as scheduled on Nov. 2.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said an early decision would ease concerns among those preparing to file their certificates of candidacy as well as election personnel in the field.

“If it will be possible to decide on it early – if the BSKE will push through or not, we would like to know at least by the second week of September. This is to remove the worries of those who will file their certificates of candidacy, including the personnel in the field,” Garcia said yesterday.

The Comelec has set the filing of certificates of candidacy for the BSKE from Sept. 28 to Oct. 5.

The expiration of some election materials and the training of teachers who will serve during the elections are some of the reasons the Comelec wants an immediate decision from Congress.

The push also came after the Senate committee on local government advanced a bill seeking to postpone the BSKE and fix the terms of barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan members to five years instead of the current four years.

Sen. Francis Escudero led the Senate local government hearing on the measure, which was approved for the crafting of a committee report, paving the way for plenary debate.

In his Senate Bill 2387, Escudero seeks to reset the BSKE from the scheduled first Monday of November 2026 to November 2028 and every five years thereafter.Escudero said his bill seeks to “correct” the terms of office to five years, not merely to postpone the polls.

Electoral groups Legal Network for Truthful Elections and the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections opposed postponing the elections in the guise of term-setting.

The groups said the timing was not appropriate because the election is only months away.

Critics have said the repeated postponement of the elections and extension of barangay officials’ terms favored the relatives of lawmakers.

The Supreme Court has struck down the postponements as unconstitutional. A legal challenge is expected at the SC if the BSKE is postponed again.

Escudero agreed with barangay officials present at the hearing that holding the BSKE close to Undas would be overwhelming.

The bill proposes a transitory provision stating that incumbent elected barangay officials “shall be regarded as having completed one term... considering the extension of their terms by two years.”

Incumbent officials serving their third consecutive term would be considered ineligible to run for the same position in the proposed 2028 BSKE.

In his explanatory note, Escudero said the proposed postponement “seeks to enhance the stability and consistency of public service at the barangay level by providing for a five-year term for barangay officials and members of Sangguniang Kabataan.”

Garcia said the Comelec has a P19.57-billion budget for the upcoming BSKE, of which about P8 billion has already been spent for the printing of ballots and payment of personnel.

When Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian asked Garcia how much would be the “sunk cost” if the November elections were postponed, Escudero intervened, saying he disagreed that the expenses would be wasted.

The Comelec earlier said some of its expenditures could be wasted if the elections are postponed. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab