The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday warned the public against spreading false information online regarding the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), stressing that the polls will proceed as scheduled on 2 November 2026.
In a public advisory, the poll body debunked a misleading "breaking news" post circulated by the Asenso Ka Barangay Facebook page, which claimed that the grassroots elections had been postponed.
Comelec clarified that Republic Act No. 12232, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2025, sets the next BSKE on the first Monday of November 2026.
The commission warned that deliberately spreading fabricated election schedules to mislead voters constitutes an election offense under Section 261(z)(11) of the Omnibus Election Code.
According to Comelec, the dissemination of malicious and misleading election information designed to create confusion among voters may result in criminal liability.
Under Section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code, violators may face imprisonment ranging from one to six years without probation, perpetual disqualification from holding public office and the loss of voting rights.
The warning comes as Comelec's Task Force KKK sa Halalan intensifies its monitoring of social media platforms to combat election-related disinformation and prevent the spread of false narratives ahead of the 2026 barangay and youth elections.
The commission urged the public to verify election-related information through official government channels and to avoid sharing unverified posts that may mislead voters.