• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will proceed as scheduled on Nov. 2 this year, according to Deputy Speaker Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.
The BSKE 2026 was not mentioned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his State of the Nation Address on July 27, confirming that the manual polls remain on track.
Following his discussion with Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla, Benitez said: “I think the decision is to continue with the barangay election considering that grounds to postpone the elections no longer exist. In short, the election will push through.”
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reaffirmed that election preparations are moving forward under Republic Act 12232, which set the nationwide grassroots voting for the first Monday of November 2026.
The official BSKE election period will be on Oct. 3 to Nov. 9, with the nationwide gun ban also taking effect.
The campaign period will run from Oct. 22 to Oct. 31.
Comelec reminded all prospective candidates that prematurely campaigning will result in election offense charges. | GPB
