(UPDATE) THE next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will be moved from Dec. 1, 2025 to November 2026, once President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs the bill postponing the polls, Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced on Thursday.
The bill will also standardize term limits, allowing barangay (village) chairmen and councilors (kagawad) to serve two consecutive four-year terms, while SK officials would be limited to a single four-year term.
Speaking to reporters in Legazpi City, Remulla said the President is expected to sign the measure soon.
The adjustment aims to align term lengths, particularly since current officials have only served two years due to previous election delays. The last BSKE were held in October 2023 after multiple postponements.
Remulla said pushing through the BSKE in December would shorten the current officials’ term to just two years instead of the mandated three years.
He also dismissed concerns that the term adjustments violate a 2023 Supreme Court ruling, which struck down a law shortening elected officials’ terms, saying they were just “equalizing the term lengths.”
Despite the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) announcement, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) emphasized that, as of now, there is no official postponement.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said preparations for the Dec. 1, 2025 polls continue under Comelec Resolution 11132.
“As of today (Thursday), there is no information from Malacañang about a law postponing the Barangay and SK elections or extending the term of current officials,” he told Radio DZMM.
Voter registration for the elections will proceed from Aug. 2 to 10, with Comelec targeting at least 1 million new registrants. Garcia added that the poll body is prepared to defend the 2025 schedule before the Supreme Court if necessary.
The BSKE have faced multiple postponements in recent years. Originally set for 2022, the polls were delayed to 2023 after legislative interventions.
In June 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that the postponement law was unconstitutional, but allowed the elections to proceed, scheduling the next one for 2025.
Earlier proposals sought to move the elections to 2026 to avoid overlapping with the 2025 midterm elections. Lawmakers also pushed for longer terms — up to six years for barangay officials — to ensure stability in local governance.
However, election watchdogs and legal groups opposed further delays, warning against extending terms without voter consent.
If President Marcos signs the postponement measure, the next BSKE will be held in November 2026, with officials serving under the new four-year term limits.
The DILG will issue further guidelines once the law is enacted.
