Comelec may need more funds if Nov. 2 BSKE postponed —Garcia

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) may need more funds if the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) scheduled for November 2 are postponed, its chairman George Garcia said Tuesday.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, Garcia said Comelec has already spent around P8 billion of its P19.57-billion budget for preparations for the BSKE.

“Kung hindi po matutuloy ang November 2 barangay at SK elections, tayo po ay muling magbubukas noong ating registration of voters kung sakali ngayong buwan ng Setyembre,” Garcia said.

(If the barangay and SK elections will not push through on November 2, we will again open our registration of voters if ever, this September.)

“Asahan po natin na ito ay madadagdagan ang bilang ng mga botante natin. Dahil po kapag nadagdagan ang bilang ng botante, dadagdag po ang bilang ng presinto, mga guro na maglilingkod sa bawat presinto, at lahat po ng mga eleksyon paraphernalia,” he added.

(This will result in more registered voters. And because there will be more voters, we will have to add precincts, teachers to be assigned to the precincts, and all election paraphernalia.)

According to Garcia, P8 billion has already been used for election-related procurement including the printing of ballots and other election forms.

The BSKE has been scheduled for November 2, 2026.

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 2028.

Despite the uncertainty over the proposed postponement, Garcia said Comelec is continuing its preparations for the November 2 elections.

He said the poll body is already about 90% ready.

The filing of certificates of candidacy is scheduled for September 28 to October 5.

Garcia earlier urged Congress to clarify before the end of September whether the BSKE will push through as scheduled. —KG, GMA News