The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Tracy Cabrera
Despite the imminent postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is going full steam ahead with voter registration and other poll preparations.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the agency was formally informed by the Office of the Executive Secretary that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is set to sign the BSKE postponement bill at 2:00 PM on August 12.
Once enacted, the measure will officially reset the December 1, 2025 polls to an unspecified date in November 2026 and extend the terms of barangay and SK officials from three to four years.
“If that’s the case, then it’s very clear that the elections on December 1 will not push through,” Garcia said during a registration drive in Pampanga. “But Comelec will not stop the registration. We will continue all of this within the 10-day period.”
Garcia clarified that the postponement is not final until the signed law is published and made effective—adding that it could still face legal challenges. “If a TRO (temporary restraining order) is issued and we are unprepared, we could face a crisis in the electoral process,” he warned.
Comelec launched a 10-day nationwide registration campaign on July 31. It will run until August 10 in Comelec offices and select malls, and until August 7 for mobile registration sites.
The poll body expects around one million new registrants, mostly from the youth sector, who are vital participants in the SK elections.
“This is not a typical satellite registration. This is a special registration anywhere—meaning we’re accommodating voters even from other provinces,” Garcia explained.
He stressed that delaying registration would disenfranchise thousands of 15- to 17-year-old voters eligible for the SK polls. “These youth voters are essential, and we must serve them,” he said.
Garcia reminded applicants that registration is not automatic. All applications must pass review and approval by the Election Registration Board in their respective hometowns.
Meanwhile, Comelec will allow online reactivation for deactivated voters with biometric data, but first-time voters must still appear in person.
“We are moving forward while waiting for the formal postponement,” Garcia said. “Our mandate is to prepare, not to assume.”