The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is awaiting final passage of a bill that would decide whether the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) push through this year, Comelec Tagbilaran supervisor Roco Lamanilao said.
The measure, House Bill 10971, would extend the terms of barangay and SK officials from four to five years.
Lamanilao noted the bill does not explicitly postpone the elections but that a new schedule would follow as a consequence of the term extension.
If it becomes law, the next elections would be held in November 2028 instead of this year.
“Every issue has someone who will be glad about it, and some who will frown on it,” Lamanilao said, adding that not everyone supports extending the officials’ term limits.
The bill has passed the House of Representatives and cleared second reading in the Senate.
Lamanilao said Comelec is prepared to hold the elections as originally scheduled if they push through, with the campaign period set to run from Oct. 20 to Oct. 31, 2026.
The House approved the measure Tuesday, Sept. 8, with a vote of 211-13 and one abstention.
Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co, the House assistant minority leader, was among those who voted against the bill, calling it a continuation of “political patronage” that she said has no constitutional basis.
Co said Supreme Court rulings require the government to show an urgent and compelling reason before postponing elections.
She added that the law extending officials’ terms from three to four years has been in effect for less than a year, making another extension premature.