Comelec: 2025 barangay, SK elections to push through

Local

THE electoral body confirmed that the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will proceed as scheduled on December 1, 2025, despite pending proposals in Congress seeking to postpone the polls to extend the terms of incumbent barangay officials.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Cebu Provincial Election Supervisor Marchel Sarno said that voter registration for the BSKE will run from July 1 to July 11, 2025.

The 11-day window will accommodate new voters, transferees, and those applying for reactivation or correction of records.

He urged eligible voters to register early, warning that the registration period is brief and the poll body’s resources are limited.

“Mubo ra ni siyang panahona mao’ng take this time, ayaw paabota og last day sa registration kay atong capacity dili ingon ana kadako,” Sarno said in an interview.

Sarno also reminded candidates who ran in the May 2025 midterm elections to submit their Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SoCE) by June 11.

Failure to file the SoCE could result in administrative penalties and potential disqualification from holding public office.

He pointed out that the BSKE, which will be conducted using manual voting and counting, often draws a large turnout and intense interest from the electorate due to the deeply personal nature of local contests.

“We expect especially on barangay elections, daghan gyud ang magparehistro. Tungod kay ang kontra ani mga silingan, paryente, so we expect mas personal ang contest sa BSKE,” Sarno said.

Youth voters aged 15 to 17 years old by Election Day may also register to vote for the Sangguniang Kabataan.

With time constraints, Sarno urged the public to do their part early and participate in the democratic process.

“Ang pinakaimportante, murehistro gyud mo. Dili nato sayangan ang atong katungod.”

Efforts to postpone

Despite the Comelec’s ongoing preparations, in the past, several lawmakers are pushing to postpone the elections.

House Bill No. 10344, filed by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, seeks to reschedule the BSKE to October 26, 2026, allowing barangay and SK officials to serve a full three-year term.

In the Senate, Sen. Imee Marcos and other legislators have filed proposals seeking to extend terms of barangay officials to six years, with elections to be held less frequently.

These proposals echo past delays in the BSKE, but the Supreme Court ruled in June 2023 that such postponements are unconstitutional, stating that elections must be held regularly to honor the democratic mandate of voters.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia earlier said that unless a new law is passed and signed by the President, the election body is bound by the current law to hold the BSKE in December 2025.

The official election period will be from Oct. 27 to December 31, with the campaign period set for Nov. 20 to 29, 2025.(MyTVCebu)