The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced that voter registration for the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections will reopen this month, giving Filipinos ample time to register ahead of the next polls.
According to Comelec, registration will begin on October 20 and will run until May 18, 2026, covering both new voters and those who need to update their records.
A separate registration schedule is set for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), from May 1 to 18, 2026.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the agency deliberately moved the BARMM registration period to follow the region’s first parliamentary elections in March 2026. He explained that doing both registrations simultaneously could “confuse BARMM voters,” who might mistake the process as part of the parliamentary polls.
The poll body expects around 1.4 million new registrants across the country once the process begins.
In August, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12232, postponing the barangay and SK elections initially set for December 1, 2025. The polls will now take place on the first Monday of November 2026, and every four years thereafter.
Under the new law, the term of office for elected barangay and SK officials has been extended to four years, from the previous three years under the 1991 Local Government Code. It also limits barangay officials to three consecutive terms or a maximum of 12 years, while SK officials can serve only one term in the same position.
