Bill seeks to defer BSKE 2026

A SENATOR filed a bill seeking to postpone the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) scheduled for November, pushing to move the polls to October 2027.

Senator Maria Imelda R. Marcos filed Senate Bill No. 2067 to provide village and youth council officials time to focus on resolving economic challenges caused by the oil crisis by moving the elections to the first Monday of October next year.

“The oil crisis has triggered significant increases in transportation fares, creating a serious risk of disenfranchisement, especially for voters registered outside their residence and marginalized sectors already struggling with the cost of living,” she said in a press release on Sunday.

She added that the original date of the polls will fall on Nov. 2, All Soul’s Day, which may discourage Filipinos to travel back home and vote due to rising transportation costs.

Ms. Marcos said the postponement will also give voters more time to update their registration and voting records.

Several senators have recently weighed on the postponement of the elections, with some considering saving the P16 billion poll funds to use for the oil crisis.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo M. Lacson previously said the Commission on Elections may declare the funds as savings by opting not to spend it.

Last year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. moved the village and youth council elections from December 2025 to November 2026 through the Republic Act No. 12232. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel