MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is ready to comply with whatever decision the Supreme Court may issue on the law setting the terms of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, Comelec Chair George Garcia said during a media briefing Wednesday.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12326 on Sept. 24, setting the terms of barangay and SK officials at five years. As a result, the next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) were moved from Nov. 2, 2026, to the second Monday of November 2028.
Garcia said the measure should be considered a law setting the terms of office rather than a postponement of the 2026 BSKE, with the postponement merely an effect of the law.
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“We will comply with whatever the Supreme Court says,” Garcia said.
He said, however, that Comelec would be “hard-pressed” to hold the BSKE on Nov. 2 if the court orders the elections to proceed as originally scheduled.
The commission would need to rearrange its timelines and adjust various election periods, including the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs), Garcia said.
“We might not be able to do the elections on Nov. 2, because we need to reschedule the filing of candidacy. We also need a period of dissemination, at least for two weeks,” he said.
Comelec would also need time to distribute election materials and machines to far-flung areas, including parts of Mindanao, he added.
Garcia said the commission would continue with its planned activities if the Supreme Court does not issue a temporary restraining order (TRO), including preparations for the 2028 elections and the special election in Batanes.
“If there is no TRO, there is no problem. We will continue with activities already lined up, such as preparations for the 2028 elections and the special election in Batanes,” Garcia said.
He said Comelec would remain flexible and follow whatever is provided for under the law or ordered by the Supreme Court.
Garcia also assured that election materials already procured for the 2026 BSKE would not go to waste, as they would be stored for use in the November 2028 elections. Comelec has previously said it had already spent about P8 billion on preparations for the postponed BSKE.
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Preparations for 2028
With the BSKE moved to 2028, Comelec has shifted its preparations toward the 2028 national and local elections.
The poll body plans to reopen voter registration in the second week of November 2026 and continue it until July 30, 2027, giving Comelec more time to prepare voter lists and assess the electorate ahead of the 2028 polls.
The registration period will allow voters to register, transfer their registration or reactivate their voter registration in preparation for the 2028 elections.
Garcia said Comelec expects at least 74 million registered voters for the national and local elections.
The filing of COCs is scheduled for Sept. 20 to 26, 2027, which Garcia said would give the commission time to screen candidates and address nuisance or unqualified candidacies before the elections.
Comelec also aims to begin printing ballots by the end of December 2027, Garcia said.
“We want to print ballots as early as December 2027, so that the ballots won’t be printed in 2028, the same year of the elections,” he said.
Garcia earlier said simultaneously preparing for the 2028 national and local elections and the BSKE would be “heavy,” as the commission would have only a few months to prepare for both elections if the BSKE remained scheduled for 2026. /das
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