Comelec pushes back voter registration from July to October

Local

WHAT was supposed to be a July kickoff for voter registration in preparation for the December 1, 2025, Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) has been pushed back to the last week of October 2025 until July 2026.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Saturday, June 21, through its official Facebook page that registration would no longer take place from July 1 to 11 as initially scheduled.

Comelec-Central Visayas Regional Director Francisco Pobe confirmed that the directive came from the poll body’s top leadership.

“That’s the advice of the [Comelec] chairman so far,” Pobe said.

Asked if this rescheduling hints at a possible postponement of the December polls, Pobe replied: “Chances are.”

The abrupt shift in registration plans comes despite earlier assurances from Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia that the BSKE would push through as scheduled.

In an earlier press briefing, Garcia said the elections would be conducted manually and would include early voting hours for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women.

Garcia also warned potential candidates against premature campaigning, saying sanctions would apply for those caught electioneering before the official campaign period in November.

However, the poll body has since begun adjusting its preparations following developments in Congress. Both chambers recently ratified a bicameral conference committee report seeking to extend the term of barangay and SK officials from three to four years, starting with those elected in 2023.

If signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the measure would reset the next BSKE to November 2026, effectively cancelling this year’s scheduled polls.

In response, Comelec said it is holding off on critical preparations.

“Preparations and procurement must stop if there’s a legal mandate to delay,” Garcia said. “Even voter registration must be adjusted accordingly.”

He also explained that while Comelec has a current budget for the December elections, a change in the timeline would require a reevaluation under a “continuing appropriation.”

Senator Imee Marcos, the bill’s sponsor, said the postponement is “merely incidental” and part of the transition to a fixed four-year term system for barangay and SK officials.

“This bill provides a clear term of office. I appeal to the President to sign it so the Comelec can focus on the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections in October,” she said.

She also emphasized that, unlike previous deferrals, which were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, the current proposal institutionalizes a standard term length.

But not everyone in the government agrees.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III noted that during the latest LEDAC (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) meeting, President Marcos indicated he wanted the BSKE to proceed as scheduled in December.

The President has yet to sign or veto the bill.

If approved, the law will not only cancel the December 1 polls but will also extend the terms of current barangay and SK officials until November 2026. It would also institutionalize three consecutive four-year terms for barangay officials and a single four-year term for SK leaders.(TGP)