Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), through its Local Government Academy (LGA), has begun ramping up preparations for the Barangay Newly Elected Officials (BNEO) Program ahead of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) scheduled in November.

During the DILG Kapihan media forum on Thursday at the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) head office in Quezon City, LGA Assistant Director Daphne Purnell said early preparations are underway to ensure that regional offices and partner institutions are ready to train newly elected barangay officials by January 2027.

She said the program includes the distribution of printed reference materials to barangays and local functionaries to support the training rollout.

“Ito ay isang programa na term-based. Ibig sabihin, magsisimula po sa orientation pero merong mga localized at needs-based training programs din na iko-conduct,” Purnell said.

She added that the BNEO Program builds on the gains of the LGA’s NEO PLUS program, which covered all local government units nationwide in 2025.

NEO PLUS is a term-based training initiative for elected local officials that aims to strengthen leadership competencies and improve policymaking performance to enhance service delivery.

For 2026, the LGA said the program will pivot toward more specialized interventions aligned with the specific mandates of local government officials, while closely monitoring the implementation of action plans developed during last year’s sessions.

The preparations come after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12232, which postponed the BSKE to the first Monday of November 2026 and extended the terms of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials to four years.

The LGA said sustained capacity development remains a priority to ensure barangay officials are prepared to deliver responsive and effective services following the BSKE.