MANILA (September 25) — THE 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections are now in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s hands, with Congress sending him a bill that would scrap the November polls, extend the terms of sitting officials to five years and move the next elections to 2028.
The timing puts thousands of prospective candidates and voters in limbo, with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) still preparing for the November 2, 2026 polls and scheduled to begin accepting certificates of candidacy on September 28.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian confirmed Thursday that Senate Bill 2387 had been transmitted to Malacañang.
He said he expected Marcos to act on the measure before the filing of candidacies begins, but the final decision remains with the President.
2026 election still stands—for now
Until the bill becomes law, the 2026 BSKE remains the scheduled election.
Comelec has continued preparations because it cannot simply stop the electoral process while Congress’ measure is still awaiting presidential action.
The poll body previously said that if no postponement law is enacted before the September 28 filing period, candidates would proceed with filing their certificates of candidacy as scheduled.
Comelec’s calendar sets the filing period from September 28 to October 5, with the election scheduled for November 2.
That leaves a narrow window for the government to settle the issue before prospective candidates begin formally entering the race.
What the bill changes
SB 2387 would amend Republic Act 12232 by fixing the terms of barangay and SK officials at five years instead of four.
It would move the next BSKE to November 2028, with succeeding elections held every five years.
The Senate approved the measure 13-5 on September 14, while the House subsequently adopted the Senate version, allowing the bill to proceed without a bicameral conference committee.
Supporters say a five-year cycle would give barangay and SK officials more time to implement community programs and provide a more predictable election schedule instead of repeatedly postponing local polls.
But voters would wait longer
The proposed reset also means barangay and SK voters would not get the scheduled 2026 opportunity to choose whether to retain or replace their current local officials.
Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal has urged Marcos to veto the measure, arguing that postponing the elections and extending the terms of incumbent officials affects voters’ right to choose their grassroots leaders.
That criticism highlights the central issue now facing the Palace: whether the longer term and continuity in local governance outweigh the effect of postponing the voters’ scheduled choice of barangay and SK officials.
A second reset
If signed, the measure would be the second postponement of the BSKE in two years.
In August 2025, Marcos signed RA 12232, moving the elections from December 2025 to November 2026. The last barangay and SK elections were held in October 2023.
The latest bill would push the next vote back again to 2028.
For communities, the immediate question is therefore not simply when the next barangay and SK elections will be held.
It is whether the 2026 election machinery now being put in place will proceed—or be dismantled—before voters even get to the September 28 filing deadline.
