Philippines Postpones Village, Youth Elections to 2028, Extends Terms to Five Years

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a proposal to postpone the 2026 youth and village polls to 2028 and extend term of office to five years. With 211 affirmative votes, 13 negative and one abstention, the chamber passed House Bill No. 10971, amending Republic Act No. 12232 by postponing the scheduled November 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to the second Monday of November 2028, thereby granting incumbent officials a two-year extension. The bill also fixes the term of office of barangay officials and SK members to five years. It limits barangay leaders to two consecutive five-year terms, while SK officials remain capped at a single term. Any unexpended funds for the 2026 polls will be retained by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to fund preparation for the 2028 elections. Voting against the bill, Party-list Rep. Renee Louise M. Co denounced the poll postponement as an unconstitutional attempt by the administration to entrench incumbents and disenfranchise young voters. “This representation believes that we are going to be cheated again,” Ms. Co said in Filipino. “This is a clear violation of the Constitution and the Supreme Court decision in Macalintal v. Comelec.” “The postponement of the BSKE from 2026 to 2028, which extends the term of incumbent officials by two more years, was not given sufficient justification,” she added in Filipino. She warned that postponing the elections would deprive young voters of their right to choose their leaders, alleging that the government was seeking to delay the polls to 2028 to gain political advantage by influencing barangay and SK officials. — Pexcel John Bacon