DAVAO CITY (August 7) — Barely three months before Filipinos are set to elect new barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials, 64 lawmakers have revived efforts to postpone the polls, arguing that soaring costs, damaged public infrastructure, and overlapping election preparations threaten the credibility of the vote.
Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez, joined by 63 House colleagues, filed House Bill No. 10591 on Tuesday seeking to move the Nov. 2, 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to the last Monday of November 2028.
If enacted, incumbent barangay and SK officials would remain in office under the holdover principle until their successors are elected, although the bill stresses that the arrangement does not constitute a new electoral mandate or an extension of their original terms.
The proposal comes despite a landmark Supreme Court ruling that struck down Republic Act 11935, which postponed the 2022 BSKE, for failing to present constitutionally sufficient grounds for delaying elections.
Benitez said the new measure was crafted to comply with the High Court’s ruling in Macalintal v. Commission on Elections, insisting the proposal is not intended to cancel the elections or simply spare voters from another trip to the polls.
Instead, lawmakers cited three “compelling government interests.”
Foremost is the rising cost of conducting nationwide elections. The bill estimates the BSKE will require around ₱19 billion, warning that higher fuel prices, transportation, electricity, communications, accommodation and logistics expenses have made earlier budget projections increasingly unreliable.
The proposal also points to damaged public infrastructure following major earthquakes, including the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao in June 2026 and the magnitude 6.9 Cebu earthquake in September 2025. Many public schools, which traditionally serve as polling centers, still require structural assessment, repairs or replacement before they can safely accommodate voters.
Lawmakers likewise argued that conducting the BSKE less than two months after the first regular Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on Sept. 14 could overstretch election personnel, teachers, security forces and logistical resources needed for both exercises.
Lanao del Sur First District Rep. Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong, chairperson of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, also backed the proposal.
Still, the bill is expected to reignite debate over election postponements and democratic accountability. Critics have long argued that repeated delays deprive voters of the opportunity to renew—or withdraw—the mandate of local officials, while supporters maintain that elections should only proceed when government can guarantee their integrity, safety and orderly conduct.
The measure specifies that the postponement would apply only to the 2026 BSKE and should not be treated as a blanket precedent for future delays.
For now, however, the Commission on Elections is proceeding with preparations for the Nov. 2 polls, including voter registration, procurement and operational planning, unless Congress passes the measure and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs it into law.
