FACT CHECK: Bill postponing 2026 barangay, SK polls not yet a law as of September 22

Claims circulating on social media that a bill postponing the November 2, 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections has become law on September 21 are false. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has clarified that the elections will proceed as scheduled under existing law. Multiple posts on a Facebook account named “Rolando Hagos,” which has over 20,000 followers, have propagated the misinformation. One post stated, “Comelec, kinansel na ang filing of candidacy ng mga tatakbo para sa barangay election,” meaning the Comelec has cancelled the filing of certificates of candidacy for those running in the barangay elections. In a statement on September 18, Comelec Chairman George Erwin emphasized that the BSKE will push through as scheduled unless a new law postponing the election is enacted. “The election will definitely push through as scheduled, because that is what the law says. Please spread the word. That is not fake news; it is the truth. We do not have a new law yet; the law is what we look for,” he said. The chairman also noted that the filing of certificates of candidacy, scheduled from September 28 to October 5, will proceed in line with Republic Act No. 12232. The misleading posts emerged after the Senate approved on September 14 a bill that would fix the term of barangay and SK officials to five years, effectively moving the polls to the second Monday of November starting in 2028. This proposed measure is now with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who can sign it into law, veto it, or let it lapse into law if he takes no action within 30 days. However, no official government announcement or credible media report confirms that the bill has been signed into law. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated that the President will review the bill’s provisions before making a decision. This is not the first time proposals have been made to postpone the BSKE. In 2022, elections originally scheduled for December were moved to October 2023 under Republic Act No. 11935. Subsequently, Republic Act No. 12232 was signed into law in August 2025, pushing the December 2025 BSKE to November 2026. The current proposal to move the scheduled November 2026 elections to 2028 has drawn opposition from election watchdog groups. Information Source: Rappler Philippines