Comelec: 2028 polls to proceed as scheduled

The Commission on Elections has assured the public that the 2028 National and Local Elections (NLE) will proceed as mandated under the Constitution, even amid concerns raised about their possible postponement.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said the poll body is already deep into preparations for the May 2028 elections, which are now about 50 to 60 percent underway.

“On the part of Comelec, we are sure that we will have an election in 2028 because it is stated in the Constitution. The mandate of Comelec at all costs is to have an election, especially as the Constitution prescribes it. We are the enforcers of the law,” Garcia said in an interview.

“On the part of Comelec, in fact, we are at 50 to 60 percent of the preparation,” he added.

Garcia issued the statement following remarks from Vice President Sara Duterte, who expressed concern over the possibility of no elections being held in 2028.

“We can only pray that there will be a presidential election in 2028 and it will be honest, orderly, and peaceful,” Duterte said in an interview in The Hague, Netherlands last week.

The poll chief reiterated that the Comelec’s duty is to ensure the conduct of elections as scheduled, emphasizing that the constitutional mandate leaves no room for cancellation or postponement.

The 2028 polls will determine the country’s next set of national and local leaders, including the presidency, as part of the regular electoral cycle.