Poll watchdog LENTE opposes proposal to postpone 2026 barangay, SK elections

An election watchdog on Friday expressed opposition to proposals to postpone the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in November to realign the funds for programs addressing the fuel crisis.

Citing the jurisprudence on Macalintal vs. Comelec, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) said the Supreme Court has previously dismissed such actions as unconstitutional.

“LENTE calls on Congress and the Executive to exhaust all available fiscal and legislative remedies for the energy crisis without undermining Filipinos' right to choose their local leaders, and not at the expense of democracy,” it said in a press statement. 

“Postponing the Barangay and SK elections deprives the Filipino voters of the most accessible accountability mechanism. So we again call on Congress, for the third time [in] the past six years, to not postpone the November elections. Do not repeat what has been done in the past,” LENTE added.

Some lawmakers have been pushing for the fresh postponement of the upcoming BSKE in November and for the reallocation of around P16 billion unspent elections budget for the government’s response to the energy crisis. 

Some P19 billion were allocated for the BSKE in this year’s national budget, with about P3 billion already spent on preparations, according to the Comelec. 

The elections body also said earlier the proposal may be deemed unconstitutional. 

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said realigning the budget is unconstitutional. However, the Comelec may declare the unused funding as “savings” and return it to the National Treasury.

The BSKE, originally scheduled for December 1, 2025, had been moved to November 2, 2026, following the extension of terms of all barangay and SK officials to four years. —AOL, GMA News