BSKE postponement: Stop the cycle of late-hour legislation
With the signing of Republic Act No. 12326 on Sept. 24, 2026, the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), originally slated for Nov. 2, 2026, have been postponed once again—this time to the second Monday of November 2028—while extending the term of office to five years.
This marks the nth iteration of such a postponement since 2016. The pattern has become painfully familiar: the date is finalized, candidates invest in preparations, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) exhausts resources for printing and logistics, and then Congress intervenes at the 11th hour to reset the calendar.
Barangay officials serve as our government’s primary frontline workers, tasked with dispute resolution, service delivery, and the guidance of our youth. Proponents argue that a five-year term allows for longer-term planning, a sentiment that holds merit only if coupled with rigorous institutional accountability.
The President rightly noted that extended tenure is not merely an extension of position, but an extension of responsibility to the people. We must now ensure that current incumbents are held strictly to this standard, as their mandate has effectively been renewed without a fresh vote.
However, we must confront the staggering financial cost of how these postponements are legislated. The procedural waste inherent in these habitual delays is a fiscal oversight that the public can ill afford, especially when resources are already stretched thin.
According to the Comelec, materials for the 2026 polls—including ballots, electoral forms, and training modules—were already finalized. These now face storage, repurposing, or outright abandonment, while the 2026 budget is deferred, effectively stalling the electoral process.
This is where our system fails the taxpayer. When a postponement is enacted just days before the filing of certificates of candidacy, the government has already mobilized substantial resources; canceling at this stage renders those expenditures a net loss for the nation.
Furthermore, this cycle sends a disheartening message to voters who are prepared to exercise their democratic right. It particularly discourages nascent, young leaders who have spent months readying themselves for the rigors of a campaign for SK or barangay positions.
Constitutional scholars have long expressed concern that extending terms without a fresh mandate lacks a compelling basis when done through last-minute legislative maneuvers. Such actions risk undermining the very principle of periodic, orderly elections that define a functional democracy.
While the inclusion of the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority training provisions in RA 12326 is a welcome development, such capacity building should be a standard, ongoing practice rather than a policy consolation prize offered to justify the cancellation of a democratic exercise.
I respectfully leave this suggestion for Congress: if a postponement must be considered, it should be enacted at least one year before the scheduled date. We must stop the cycle of late-hour legislation that squanders public funds and erodes the foundational trust between the government and the governed.
REGINALD B. TAMAYO,
Marikina City
