President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed he will sign into law the measure delaying the 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to give full attention to the historic Bangsamoro parliamentary polls later this year.
“I’ll sign it,” Marcos said during a media forum in Bengaluru, India, when asked about the fate of the bill.
The President emphasized the significance of the upcoming October elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which will be the first time voters directly elect their regional parliament.
“Kakatapos lang natin ng malaking eleksyon, midterm election… You have to remember, the BARMM election that is upcoming in October is the first time we have ever had this kind of election at all,” Marcos noted. He stressed that if the BARMM polls fail, it would be a “malaking failure” in the peace process.
Earlier, Commission on Elections chair George Garcia said Malacañang informed the poll body that the law signing will take place on August 12.
The 2025 BSKE was originally set for December 1, 2025. However, Congress ratified in June the bicameral report extending barangay and SK officials’ terms from three to four years and moving the elections to the first Monday of November 2026.
