The Commission on Elections said the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections remain scheduled for November 2, 2026, because the law postponing the polls to 2028 has not yet taken effect.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the poll body will continue preparing for the elections, including the filing of certificates of candidacy scheduled from September 28 to October 5. He stressed that the existing law still sets November 2 as election day.
The uncertainty comes after both chambers of Congress approved measures seeking to postpone the 2026 BSKE until November 2028. The proposed postponement would also extend the terms of incumbent barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials from four years to five years.
The House of Representatives subsequently adopted the Senate version, clearing the way for the measure to be transmitted to Malacañang. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said he will review the legislation before deciding whether to sign it.
Until the proposed postponement becomes law, however, Comelec cannot simply stop its preparations.
Garcia previously explained that halting preparations prematurely could leave the poll body unprepared if the President vetoes the measure or if a court intervenes. He also said that even after enactment, a postponement law could potentially face a challenge before the Supreme Court.
The timing has become particularly important because the filing of certificates of candidacy is scheduled to begin on September 28.
Garcia said Comelec needs clarity before that date. If the postponement law is already signed and takes effect, the scheduled filing would no longer proceed. If there is still no new law, Comelec will continue operating under the existing election calendar.
The uncertainty has also affected election-related restrictions. Comelec has already begun enforcing the public spending ban covering the period from September 18 to November 1, based on the assumption that the November 2 elections remain in force under existing law.
The ban restricts the release and use of public funds, certain public works and other government activities during the prohibited period. Comelec has nevertheless approved exemptions for several LTFRB assistance programs, subject to conditions intended to prevent their use from influencing the elections.
Comelec has also continued spending for election preparations. The poll body previously reported that around P8 billion of its roughly P19-billion allocation for the BSKE had already been used, with Garcia saying equipment purchased for the scheduled elections could still be used if the polls are eventually postponed.
For now, there are therefore two competing realities: Congress has approved legislation seeking to move the elections to 2028, but the November 2, 2026 polls remain the legally scheduled elections until the new measure becomes law.
The immediate deadline is September 28, when the filing of certificates of candidacy is supposed to begin.
Until the legal status changes, Comelec’s position remains straightforward: preparations for the November 2 BSKE will continue because, for now, the election is still on the calendar.
