PRESIDENT MARCOS OPEN TO POSTPONING BARANGAY, SK ELECTIONS  

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is open to proposals to postpone anew the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) if it would benefit the country, Malacañang said, noting that the move could save the government around P16 billion.

“Nabanggit nga po na maaaring makatipid ng P16 billion para dito po kung hindi maitutuloy ang nasabing eleksiyon,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a press briefing at the RDC Hall of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev) Region VI (Western Visayas) in Iloilo City on Friday.

“Ang Pangulo at ang gobyerno pong ito ay open sa lahat ng maaaring suggestion na siyang makakabuti sa ating bansa,” Castro said, in reference to a lawmaker pushing for a new postponement of the 2026 BSKE to realign the funds for programs addressing the fuel crisis.

Castro said that if lawmakers filed a bill to postpone the 2026 BSKE, President Marcos would still have to study it and would be willing to support it as long as it would benefit the country.

“So, kung magkakaroon po sila ng anumang bill or panukala po dito at aaralin po ‘to ng Pangulo – basta po ito’y makakabuti sa ating bansa, open po ang Pangulo para diyan,” she said.

In August 2025, President Marcos signed Republic Act No. 12232 into law, which postpones the December 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to the first Monday of November 2026.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had cited that preparations for the 2026 BSKE will continue and will not be wasted even if the elections are postponed.

Comelec made the statement after Deputy Speaker and Bacolod City Rep. Albee Benitez called for a six-month postponement of the BSKE, scheduled for November 2, 2026, due to the crisis caused by tensions in the Middle East.