JV warns colleagues amid proposals to suspend 2026 BSKE anew

Senator JV Ejercito on Monday warned colleagues in Congress to meticulously review proposals to postpone Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) anew in light of the oil crisis, despite the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling declaring it unconstitutional.

The recommendation aims to boost the government’s relief efforts by reallocating the BSKE funds, estimated at approximately P16 billion, to key aid programs.

Although the Constitution gives Congress the authority to define the term duration for barangay officials and suspend BSKE, Ejercito emphasized that deferring it anew must be strictly examined and legally permissible by the SC.

“If the oil crisis is the reason for postponing the BSKE, we need to determine if it is consistent with the SC guidelines in 2023,” he told reporters in a message.

The last BSKE was held in 2023, although it was originally scheduled earlier, but was postponed four times since 2016, with the first three occurring during the Duterte administration.

The BSKE for this year is scheduled on 2 November, though some lawmakers, such as Senator Imee Marcos, wanted to defer it so that the P16 billion could be directed to social programs that will fund assistance to key sectors amid the soaring prices brought about by the crisis in the Middle East.

However, opponents have argued that the BSKE should push through this time because the voting public has been deprived of their right to elect local leaders several times.

Ejercito shared the concern, asserting that the “best leaders might have just missed their opportunities because of the suspension of elections.”

“A lot of people are already looking forward to electing their next local leaders. Some young people may also be missing the opportunity to serve and pass their ‘productive years,” he lamented.

Senator Win Gatchalian was also not in favor of suspending the BSKE, arguing that the government still has sufficient funds amounting to P230 billion to respond to the ongoing oil crisis.

Commission on Elections Chair George Garcia warned that reallocating BSKE’s unspent funds for other purposes is unconstitutional.

In a 2023 ruling, the SC said RA 11935, or the law that sought the suspension of BSKE 2022 to augment the Executive’s funds, is violative of the Constitution as it “unconstitutionally transgresses the constitutional prohibition against any transfer of appropriations, and it unconstitutionally and arbitrarily overreaches the exercise of the rights of suffrage.”

The high court also ruled that the enactment of the law, signed by President Marcos Jr., was attended with “grave abuse of discretion amounting to a lack or excess of jurisdiction.“

In August last year, Marcos also signed RA 12232, which postpones the December 2025 BSKE to 2 November 2026.

Last week, Malacanang confirmed that Marcos remains open to proposals to suspend BSKE 2026 anew so that the government could save P16 billion allocated for the polls and boost its relief efforts.