Election Commission Urges Increase in P4B Funding for BSKE to Increase Effectiveness
Comelec Seeks Additional PHP 4 Billion for Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the Philippines has announced that it will request an additional PHP 4 billion budget if the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) are to be reset from their original schedule in December 2025 to November 2026. This additional budget is necessary to cover the costs associated with the registration of approximately 2.8 million new voters and the subsequent expenses for ballots, precincts, teaching staff, and election paraphernalia.
The original budget for the BSKE is PHP 11 billion, which will be carried over automatically if the elections are postponed. However, since the resetting was not anticipated in the existing budget proposal for 2026, Comelec will seek the additional funds to address the increased voter registration and associated election costs.
During the 10-day registration period, a total of 3,285,464 applications were received. Calarbarzon (Region 4-A) had the most registrants with 324,017, followed by Negros Island Region (NIR) with 234,032, Central Luzon (Region 3) with 220,650, Bicol (Region 5) with 206,845, and Cordillera Administrative Region with the least number of applications at 48,757. A significant number of applications, approximately 590,639, were received on the last day of the registration period, Sunday.
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia has stated that the procurement process should continue, as supplies have not yet been delivered. He also mentioned that the additional budget for the BSKE reset may reach PHP 4 billion, with the current budget for the elections being PHP 11 billion.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., has been asked by Comelec Chairperson George Garcia to postpone the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections from December 2025 to November 2026. The Comelec is continuing the procurement process because there are many possibilities and processes have already been started.
The Comelec is planning to ask for an additional budget if the BSKE is reset, as there is a possibility of up to 4 million voters being registered. The additional budget is intended for items such as ballots, precincts, teachers, and election paraphernalia. However, Garcia stated that the additional budget was not included in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) proposal because there was no announcement or law yet.
The registration period for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections was only 10 days long, which may have impacted the number of registrants. Despite this, the Comelec is confident that the additional budget will ensure a smooth and efficient election process if the BSKE is reset to be held from December 2025 to November 2026.
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