Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Wednesday that the preparations for the November 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) have become a primary focus. This follows the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the legality of the law postponing these electoral exercises.

According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia emphasized the importance of aligning their schedules for the upcoming elections next year. He remarked that the Supreme Court’s ruling should settle any ongoing discussions about the timing of the village and youth polls. “This, hopefully, would finally put an end to endless speculations concerning the BSKE,” stated Garcia. He further added, “Now that the SC has spoken, the Comelec can now focus on our timelines and our preparations.”

The Supreme Court recently confirmed the constitutionality of Republic Act 12232, which establishes the term of office for barangay and SK officials. The court noted that the law, which rescheduled the December 2025 elections to November 2026, resulted in changes considered “merely incidental.”

Additionally, the poll body reported significant progress in printing the official ballots for the November 2026 elections. Comelec data revealed that 85 percent, or 58,933,937 out of the 69,259,342 official ballots, have already been printed at the National Printing Office (NPO) as of Tuesday. This leaves only 10,325,405 ballots yet to be printed, specifically for two regions: Central Luzon (2,702,043) and the National Capital Region (7,623,362).

Regarding the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, Comelec stated that it has not yet commenced the printing of the 23,498,647 official ballots. The materials required for this process, specifically the paper rolls, are currently stored in a warehouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and the commission is in the process of securing hauling services. The commission had started printing the 92,757,989 official ballots last month.