MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday said it will ask President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare no work and classes on November 3, 2026 to encourage more Filipinos to cast their votes for the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
The BSKE will be held on November 2, 2026, after being postponed from December 1, 2025. Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia noted that as November 1, a Sunday, is a special non-working day to commemorate All Saints’ Day, many Filipinos will visit their loved ones in their provinces.
READ: Comelec sets COC filing for BSKE on Sept. 28 to Oct. 5
“For Barangay and SK Elections, the Commission on Elections will request our President to declare no classes and work on November 3,” Garcia, speaking Filipino, told reporters in an interview.
As November 2 is also considered a special non-working day for All Souls’ Day, Garcia pointed out that if classes and work resume on November 3, many Filipinos may return from their provinces on November 2.
“But if there are still no classes and work on November 3, if they return to Manila or areas where they work or temporarily reside on November 3, we can say that they can vote on November 2,” he added.
READ: Comelec to require birth certificate for BSKE bets, future polls
The Comelec has set the filing of certificates of candidacy for the BSKE from September 28, 2026 to October 5, 2026. This time, the Comelec will now require the attachment of a birth certificate upon the filing of their candidacies.
The campaign period will begin from October 22, 2026 to October 31, 2026. As the elections will be done manually, the poll body said that campaigning is not allowed from September 28, 2026 to October 21, 2026.
Garcia earlier said that Peñera vs. Comelec doctrine is only applicable during automated elections, where it states that an aspirant can only be considered as a candidate at the start of the campaign period. Garcia warned that BSKE candidates who will engage in premature campaigning will face appropriate sanctions.
The poll body received a total of 5,470,889 new voter applications after seven months of its voters’ registration drive for the BSKE from October 20, 2025 to May 18, 2026. /jpv
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