By el Amigo
MANILA — The Senate Committee on Local Government on Monday approved measures seeking to postpone the November 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) and set a fixed five-year term for barangay and SK officials.
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero’s Senate Bill No. 2387 proposes changing the current four-year term to five years. Escudero said the measure aims to provide greater stability and continuity in local governance and prevent Congress from repeatedly postponing barangay elections.
“The natural effect will, of course, be to postpone the upcoming election, but the subject matter of this bill is fixing the term,” Escudero said.
He said the proposed transition would ensure that incumbent officials do not unfairly benefit from an extended tenure.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said Congress has the authority to determine the terms of barangay and SK officials. He urged lawmakers to make a clear decision by September on whether the 2026 elections will proceed.
Sen. Imee Marcos has separately filed a bill proposing to move the BSKE from November 2026 to October 2027. She cited the financial burden on voters who need to travel to their home provinces and noted that the scheduled election date falls on All Souls’ Day.
Marcos said postponement would give voters more time to transfer or update their registration records and avoid costly travel during the elections.
Meanwhile, Garcia told senators that about ₱3 billion of the ₱8 billion already spent, obligated or earmarked for the 2026 BSKE could become unrecoverable if the elections are postponed.
The 2026 BSKE has a total allocation of ₱19.57 billion, nearly twice the usual ₱11 billion to ₱12 billion cost. Garcia attributed the higher budget to the increase in registered voters to around 71 million, more polling precincts, additional election personnel, higher teacher honoraria and increased printing requirements.
Garcia said much of the election spending could still be recovered because materials already purchased may be used in future polls.
Comelec has completed the printing of ballots at a cost of about ₱2.4 billion. Garcia said these could potentially be used for postponed elections, even if the ballots carry the 2026 date.
Escudero also said expenses for overtime work related to printing and storing election materials should not automatically be considered wasted if the materials remain usable.
The Senate will still have to deliberate and vote on the measures in plenary.
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