THE ongoing voter registration period will end on August 10 and will not be extended despite the impending resetting of the December 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
This was according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which said the 10-day voter registration period will remain unchanged as there is still a possibility that the BSKE will push through on December 1.
"Matatapos tayo sa 10th ng Agosto... Hindi na muna natin i-extend (ang August 1 to 10)," said Comelec Chairman George Garcia in an interview.
(We will end on August 10... We will no longer extend the August 1 to 10 period for now.)
"Ang isang batas kapag napirmahan ay may period of publication pa. Pagtapos, tsaka pa magiging effective. Kapag effective na, pwede na questionin sa Korte Suprema. Titingnan natin ano aksyon ng SC kung sakaling may mag question sa batas na yan," he added.
(Once a law is signed, it still has a period of publication. After that, only then will it become effective. Once it's effective, it can be questioned before the Supreme Court. We’ll have to see what action the Supreme Court will take in case someone challenges that law.)
Currently, the Comelec is conducting voter registration activities for the BSKE nationwide, which will run until August 10.
However, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said Malacañang has informed him that the law setting the term of barangay and youth officials and resetting the BSKE to November 2026 will be signed on August 12.
Instead of extending the current registration period, Garcia said they plan to resume registration by late October 2025.
This, he said, will be after the conduct of the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) on October 13.
"Kung ma-postpone ang BSKE from December 1 to November 2026 ay magoopen tayo ulit ng registration nitong October, after ng Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections," Garcia said.
(If the BSKE is postponed from December 1 to November 2026, we will open voter registration again this October, after the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections.)
"Tatagal ito ng hanggang July 2026. Ganun kahaba ang magiging voter registration natin," added Garcia.
(This will last until July 2026. That’s how long our voter registration will be.) (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
