 to be formalized ten days from now, the Commission on Elections){kind=link}
WITH THE RESETTING of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to be formalized ten days from now, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that it will still continue voter registration and election preparations as it awaits President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to sign the measure that will postpone the polls from December to November next year.
According Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia, the Office of the Executive Secretary has informed them of the scheduled signing ceremony at 2:00 in the afternoon of August 12.
The measure will officially reset the December 1, 2025 elections to an unspecified date in November 2026 even as the terms of barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials will be extended from three to four years.
“If that’s the case, then it’s very clear that the elections on December 1 will not push through. But the Comelec will not stop the registration. We will continue all of this within the 10-day period,” Garcia disclosed during a voter registration event in Pampanga
‘The poll body expects a registration turnout that could reach around one million new voters, most of whom are projected to be from youth sector for the SK polls.’
NOT YET FINAL
The Comelec commissioner clarified, though, that the President’s signature does not immediately make the postponement final because “even after it is signed, the law must be published to take effect and it could still be challenged before the Supreme Court.”
So the poll chief rationalized that “if a TRO (temporary restraining order) is issued and (the Commission) is unprepared, (the country’s electoral process) could face a crisis.”
Comelec is holding a nationwide 10-day registration campaign that began on July 31. The drive will run until August 10 in local Comelec offices and mall registration sites, and until August 7 in mobile registration applications anywhere.
The poll body expects a registration turnout that could reach around one million new voters, most of whom are projected to be from youth sector for the SK polls.
“The special registration will allow even out-of-town voters to sign up. This is not a satellite registration. This is a special registration anywhere, meaning we’re accommodating voters even from other provinces,” Garcia noted while emphasizing the urgency of holding the registration after Comelec found itself to have no choice but to push through the poll preparations due to Congress’ delay in passing the postponement bill.
“If we don’t conduct registration, we won’t have 15- to 17-year-old voters eligible for the SK elections. These youth voters are essential and we must serve them,” he pointed out.
ONLINE REACTIVATION
Garcia reminded the public that submitting an application does not automatically guarantee voter registration because applications will still undergo review before being forwarded to the Election Registration Board in the applicant’s hometown for posting and possible objections.
Comelec will likewise allow online reactivation for deactivated voters who already have biometric records. However, new or first-time registrants must still appear in person due to legal constraints.