The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) expressed hope that legislation deferring the scheduled November 2 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will be enacted before the filing period for certificates of candidacy (COCs) opens on September 28.
Speaking in a radio interview on Thursday, COMELEC Chairperson George Erwin Garcia clarified that candidacy filings set for September 28 through October 5 will proceed as scheduled unless a bill signed into law changes the timeline.
“The filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC) is scheduled for Sept. 28. Hopefully, the law becomes clear before that date; otherwise, the filing of COCs will proceed as planned,” he said.
The poll body chief emphasized that administrative preparations for the upcoming elections cannot be put on hold despite the strong likelihood of a postponement, pointing out several potential legal and legislative hurdles.
“Even though it is crystal clear that the BSKE might be postponed, since the House of Representatives appears to have adopted the Senate version, there is still a process involved. It has to be forwarded to the Palace, and it depends on whether the President signs it. There is a waiting period before it becomes law, and afterwards, the matter could be brought to the Supreme Court,” he explained.
“If we were to stop our preparations now, what would happen if the President doesn’t sign it, or exercises a veto, or if the Supreme Court issues a temporary restraining order (TRO)? That is why we cannot stop; otherwise, we might not be ready for the election on Nov 2 should any of those scenarios occur,” Garcia added.
Garcia noted that continuous preparations include training personnel and dispatching electoral materials.
“Regarding teacher training: teachers are accustomed to automated elections. Although, the BSKE is a manual election, many new teachers are not familiar with the manual process. Training needs to start immediately. We are mobilizing one million teachers; that isn’t something that can be covered in just a week of training,” the head of the Commission said.
“Secondly, there is the deployment of equipment. That process takes a very long time. Once the equipment is deployed, it cannot be recalled; doing so would be too costly. It needs to be shipped out by the first week of October,” he added.
The House of Representatives adopted the Senate’s bill to reschedule the BSKE to November 2028 and extend the term of office for barangay and youth officials to five years.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. indicated he will review the measure’s terms before rendering a final decision.