Comelec to abide by Congress' decision on Barangay, SK term of office

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it will follow Congress' decision on the term of office for Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials as the schedule for the elections remain unresolved.

"Sabi ni Comelec chair dyan, we will abide by the law kung ano ang pasya ng ating Kongreso," Comelec spokesperson Atty. John Rex Laudiangco.

(Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the poll body will abide by the law, whatever Congress decides.)

Laudiangco reiterated that the poll body is hoping for clarity by September on whether the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will push through as scheduled.

Garcia said Comelec hopes to avoid leaving candidates in limbo and to allow the poll body to focus on its preparations for the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The BSKE has been scheduled for November 2.

Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero has filed a bill seeking to extend the terms of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials to five years and reset the elections to November 2028.

Senate Bill 2387 seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 12232 or "An Act Setting the Term of Office of Barangay Officials and Members of the Sangguniang Kabataan, and for Other Purposes."

Several bills have also been filed in the House of Representatives seeking to postpone the barangay and SK elections.

During the Senate hearing earlier today, the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) said the BSKE should proceed as scheduled, citing fiscal strain, the Middle East oil crisis and travel costs.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting shared the same sentiment, saying that preparations for the BSKE are already underway.

Escudero, meanwhile, explained that his proposal aims to prevent further tinkering with the term of office for barangay and SK officials and avoid future postponements of the BSKE.

"Hopefully that will insulate it from any further tinkering by Congress with the intention of either fixing or the real intention, maybe for some, of simply postponing the barangay elections," Escudero said.

Quezon City Councilor Jose Maria Rodriguez, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay, expressed support for a five-year term for barangay officials.

He said the five-year term would be consistent with the five-year development plan being implemented by national government agencies and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

"At least consistent siya sa mga mandatong binibigay ng national government, ng DILG, na five-year development plan," Rodriguez said.

(At least, it would be consistent of the mandate imposed by the national government and DILG on the five-year development plan.)

"And at the same time, nasusulit po natin yung ini-invest na training ng ating gobyerno, mapa LGU or national," he added.

(And at the same time, we can maximize the government’s investment in training, whether at the local or national level.)

The DILG's five-year developmental plan serves as the government's blueprint for local governance, public safety, and internal security for 2023 to 2025.

Meanwhile, Garcia said Comelec had already spent around P8 billion for preparations for the BSKE.

Of the total expenses, P3 billion were sunk costs, which include the salary paid to Comelec personnel and the indelible ink that may go unused if the BSKE is postponed.

Meanwhile, materials worth P5 billion can still be reused in the election, such as the printed ballots.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed a law in 2025 setting the terms of all elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials at four years.

RA 12232 also sets the next regular BSKE on the first Monday of November 2026 and every four years thereafter. — BAP, GMA News