Senate panel clears BSKE reset

CEBU, Philippines — A bill seeking to postpone the November 2 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) and extend the term of elected village and youth officials to five years has hurdled the Senate committee level, clearing the way for plenary deliberations.

Sen. Francis Escudero led the Senate Committee on Local Government hearing on his proposal to fix the term of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials at five years, from the current four years.

Under Senate Bill No. 2387, Escudero proposes moving the BSKE scheduled for the first Monday of November 2026 to November 2028 and holding subsequent elections every five years thereafter.

The proposal, however, drew opposition from the Legal Network for Truthful Elections and the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections, which argued against postponing the polls under the guise of fixing the term of office.

The groups said the timing was inappropriate, noting that the elections are only months away and that proposals to postpone the BSKE tend to emerge when the polls are near.

They said discussions on fixing the terms of barangay and SK officials could be taken up after the elections and should have been tackled much earlier.

Escudero, however, maintained that his bill seeks to “correct” the terms of office to five years and not merely postpone the upcoming elections.

Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia told the hearing that the poll body has a P19.57-billion budget for the BSKE, of which about P8 billion has already been spent on ballot printing and personnel-related expenses.

When Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian asked Garcia how much of the amount would become a “sunk cost” if the November elections were postponed, Escudero intervened, saying he disagreed with characterizing the spending as wasted.

Escudero also agreed with barangay officials who attended the hearing that holding the BSKE close to the observance of Undas could be overwhelming for village officials.

The senator approved the motion of Sen. JV Ejercito, who chairs the local government committee, to prepare a committee report for the bill's consideration in plenary.

The measure seeks to amend the current four-year term under Republic Act No. 12232, the latest law governing the 2025 BSKE.

Escudero also proposed a transitory provision under which incumbent elected barangay officials “shall be regarded as having completed one term... considering the extension of their terms by two years.”

Incumbent officials serving their third consecutive term would be considered ineligible to seek the same position in the proposed 2028 BSKE.

In his explanatory note, Escudero said the proposed postponement “seeks to enhance the stability and consistency of public service at the barangay level by providing for a five- (5-) year term for barangay officials and members of Sangguniang Kabataan.”

Meanwhile, the Comelec has asked Congress to decide on proposals for another postponement of the BSKE by the second week of September.

Garcia said the poll body needs clarity before the end of September on whether the November 2 elections will push through, particularly with the filing of certificates of candidacy set from September 28 to October 5.

“If it will be possible to decide on it early - if the BSKE will push through or not, we would like to know at least by the second week of September. This is to remove the worries of those who will file their certificates of candidacy including the personnel in the field,” Garcia said in an interview.

He said the uncertainty also affects the handling of election materials, including ballpens, thumbprint takers and indelible ink, some of which have limited shelf lives.

“These things dry up. They have expiry date of one year so we gave instruction not to deliver it yet. We would like to make sure first that it will be clear to us if the BSKE will happen or not since delivery can be done easily after procurement has been made,” he said.

The Comelec chief also cited the scheduled training of teachers as another reason Congress should immediately decide on the matter.

“The training of teachers will happen three weeks from now. We need to pay for the venue, food and transportation that is why we would like to know as soon as possible what will happen with the BSKE,” he added.

The Comelec earlier said it had already spent about P8 billion out of its P19-billion budget for the BSKE, with some expenditures potentially going to waste if the elections are postponed.

At the same time, Garcia said the poll body is preparing for the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections, scheduled for September 14.

“If the BSKE is important to us, the BPE is equally important. We would like to focus on one (elections) if that (BSKE postponement) will happen. We’ll focus on the Bangsamoro (elections) and then will take care of the barangay elections later,” said Garcia. — Philippine Star News Service  (FREEMAN)