Suspension of BSKE confirmed by Marcos
In a significant move, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has confirmed that he will sign a bill postponing the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to focus on the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections. The decision, which extends the terms of current BSKE officials for four years, has sparked controversy and legal challenges.
The bill, which was ratified by Congress, postpones the BSKE from their initial scheduled date of December 1, 2025, to November 2, 2026. The extended terms for barangay and SK officials are part of the new term limits set by the legislation.
The postponement is intended to allow the government to fully focus on the BARMM elections, which are crucial for advancing the region's peace process, according to President Marcos. These elections are significant as they are the first of their kind in the entire history of the Philippines. No BARMM Parliament has been elected by the people in the Philippines' history, making these elections a landmark event.
However, critics and legal challengers argue that the postponement was not grounded in "sufficiently important, substantial, or compelling reasons" as required by a 2023 Supreme Court ruling safeguarding the right to suffrage. One election lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, highlighted that the postponement seems to be a form of political accommodation rather than a justified electoral need.
In the broader context, it is understood that the government prefers to focus resources and attention on the upcoming BARMM parliamentary elections without the simultaneous conduct of barangay and SK polls nationwide. The BARMM parliamentary elections are set for October 2025, and holding them alongside the BSKE in December could strain logistical and administrative capacities of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and related agencies.
Although direct official statements linking the postponement solely to the focus on BARMM elections are not cited explicitly, this rationale has been implied in the political discourse surrounding election scheduling. President Marcos has emphasized that a failed BARMM election would be a significant setback for the peace process in Mindanao.
The postponement of the BSKE remains controversial, as it extends officials' tenure without a new public mandate and raises concerns about electoral accountability. Nonetheless, the decision reflects a strategic focus on the historic BARMM parliamentary elections, with the aim to avoid overlapping election preparations and ensure successful elections in the region.
The government's decision to postpone the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) is aimed at focusing resources on the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections, as President Marcos Jr. stated. However, this postponement has sparked legal challenges and criticism, with critics claiming it lacks "sufficiently important, substantial, or compelling reasons," as mandated by a 2023 Supreme Court ruling guarding the right to suffrage. The postponement of the BSKE, providing a four-year extension for barangay and SK officials, falls under the new term limits set by the legislation and is intended to avoid logistical and administrative strains during the simultaneous conduct of both elections.
