PBBM signs law postponing barangay, SK polls to 2026, sets 4-year term

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

FILE: Voters fill up their ballots inside a polling precinct at the Sto. Niño Elementary School in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Monday (Oct. 30, 2023). (PNA photo by Ben Briones)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday signed Republic Act No. 12232, postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) from December 2025 to November 2026 and fixing the term of office of village and youth officials at four years.

Under the new law, no barangay official may serve more than three consecutive terms in the same position, while SK officials may serve only one term.

The next BSKE will be held on the first Monday of November 2026 and every four years thereafter, with winners assuming office on Dec. 1 following the elections.

Incumbent officials will remain in a hold-over capacity unless removed or suspended, but those serving their third consecutive term will be barred from seeking re-election in 2026.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is mandated to issue implementing rules within 90 days of the law’s effectivity.

Marcos earlier said he supports the postponement of the village polls, citing the need for the government to focus on the first-ever parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro region.

The country’s last BSKE was held on Oct. 30, 2023.