The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has pushed back the schedule for voter registration, setting the new period from the last week of October this year until July 10, 2026. The announcement was made by Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia, confirming the changes in a message to the media on Tuesday.
Originally, registration was slated for July 1 to 11, 2025, in anticipation of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) scheduled for December 1. However, Garcia said the longer registration window accounts for the possibility of the elections being rescheduled.
“Because if the BSKE will be reset, we need a longer period of registration,” Garcia explained in an Inquirer.net report. He emphasized that the decision to move the registration is final and not contingent on whether the polls are postponed or not. However, he acknowledged that the Supreme Court could intervene if a legal challenge is filed against the law postponing the elections.
The Comelec earlier anticipated around one million new registrants.
This development comes as Congress recently ratified a bicameral report proposing changes to the Local Government Code, including extending the term of barangay and SK officials from three to four years. The bill also recommends moving the BSKE from December 2025 to the first Monday of November 2026. The measure now awaits the signature of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
