Governor Backs BSKE Postponement

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday that he is supporting the move to postpone the 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Election.

“The reason… the present barangay and SK officials are serving their second year this year. All elected officials serve for three years. I am in favor on allowing them to serve for three years because that’s the normal number of years per term,” Lacson said.

The governor also said that they are awaiting the signature of the President on the term of office and subsequent postponement

He cited the ruling of the Supreme Court that “it is unconstitutional for Congress to extend the term of a Barangay and Sanggunian Kabataan official.”

“Personally, I don’t mind them serving another year at least they complete the three years (or) one term service,” Lacson said.

Earlier, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will sign into law a proposed bill seeking to postpone the 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).

The 2025 BSKE is initially set on December 1, 2025.

However, Congress, in June, ratified a bicameral conference committee report seeking to extend the term of office for the barangay and SK officials from three to four years, and postpone the elections to the first Monday of November 2026.

As of August 3, the COMELEC in Negros Occidental recorded a total of 5,899 voter applicants, data showed.

The 6th district logged the most number of voter applicants at 1,281 voter applicants; 5th district logged the 1,052; 3rd district – 926; 4th district – 890; 1st- 813 and 2nd- 766.

The lone district of Bacolod City recorded a total of 171 voting applicants.

Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano, COMELEC regional director for the Negros Island Region (NIR), said the voters registration in the region was “ok”.

Castillano said data showed that there was an increase of registration in Negros Oriental particularly Dumaguete City.*