The Commission on Elections has cancelled all activities related to the 2 November Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a law resetting the polls to November 2028.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia made the announcement Friday after Marcos signed Republic Act 12326, which fixes the terms of barangay and SK officials at five years and schedules the next BSKE on the second Monday of November 2028.

“Sabi po ng bagong batas, walang eleksyon,” Garcia said.

(The new law says there is no election.)

“Cancelled po lahat na ng aktibidad na patungkol sa atin pong dapat na November 2 Barangay and SK Elections,” he added.

(All activities related to the supposed 2 November Barangay and SK Elections are cancelled.)

Among the cancelled activities is the filing of certificates of candidacy, which had been scheduled from 28 September to 5 October.

Garcia said the ban on the release of public funds for social services and the construction of public works, which took effect on 18 September under the BSKE calendar, has also been lifted.

The Comelec en banc is expected to issue a resolution formally cancelling the remaining election activities and preparations.

However, Garcia said deliveries of election paraphernalia already procured by the commission would continue, along with the printing of voters’ lists.

“’Yun po ay naprocure na, magsisimula na kami magbayad. Bakit po namin hindi ipapadeliver pa? Baka kung saan pa mapunta ’yan,” he said.

(Those have already been procured and we will start paying for them. Why should we no longer have them delivered? They might end up somewhere else.)

Garcia said Comelec is also preparing to resume voter registration following the postponement of the BSKE.

Comelec had previously spent about P8 billion on preparations for the 2026 polls, while roughly P10.9 billion remained unobligated. The new law allows unused funds to remain with Comelec as continuing appropriations for future election preparations.

Garcia said the remaining funds could help finance preparations for the 2028 national and local elections, particularly after reductions in Comelec’s proposed 2027 budget.

The poll chief also acknowledged that the new law could face legal challenges before the Supreme Court.

“Aware po ang inyong Commission en banc na maaari na may magsampa ng mga petisyon sa Korte Suprema at kwestiyunin ang legalidad ng naturang bagong batas,” Garcia said.

(The Commission en banc is aware that petitions may be filed before the Supreme Court questioning the legality of the new law.)

Garcia said Comelec would abide by any action taken by the high court.

He added that if the Supreme Court were to stop the implementation of the law at a late stage, Comelec could face serious time constraints in preparing for a 2026 election, although provisions of the Omnibus Election Code could potentially be invoked.