The Lower House approved to postpone the Barangay Sanggunian Kabataan (BSK) elections to November 2026.
Whether the bill becomes a law, it now rests on President Bongbong Marcos to approve it. If not, the BSK election pushes as scheduled on December 1, 2025.
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC), however, is already prepared to hold the BSK elections in December this year.
If ever, the COMELEC registration for new voters and transferees starts on July 1, 2025.
Congressmen want to postpone the BSK elections scheduled in December this year for some reasons.
Some Congressmen argue that it would be unfair for elected BSK officials to enjoy only two years in office having been elected on October 30, 2023.
Other Congressmen also argued that to postpone the BSKE on Nov. 1, 2026 allows elected barangay officials to serve four years in office.
The argument pushed by some Congressmen are reasonable, but unconvincing. The spirit of the Dec 1, 2025 BSKE is to normalize the Barangay elections so it could be held every four years then.
Postponing the BSKE to 2026 is an aberration of the intention of the Dec. 1, 2025 BSKE. Thus, it is unnecessary to postpone the Dec 1, 2025 elections.
The National Citizens Movement for Free Election (NAMFREL) share it thoughts that “delaying the 2025 BSKE weakens people’s trust in the electoral process and take away the chance for communities and the youth to be heard.”
There are suspicions though that some Congressmen want to postpone the BSKE elections out of “political convenience” as a way of protecting their protégées from being booted out as barangay officials come Dec1, 2025.
