ILOILO City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has moved the scheduled voter registration for the December 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) from July 1–11 to the last week of October, citing the need to avoid confusion with the upcoming Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) slated for October 13.
Comelec chairperson George Garcia confirmed the deferment in an interview. He explained that holding registration while preparations for the BPE are underway could create complications, especially for voters in the Bangsamoro region.
“Voter registration cannot continue because 11 days are not enough. The Bangsamoro [voters] might get confused if voter registration will be conducted and they won’t be able to vote in the BPE. The registration is for BSKE, we will just continue voter registration after the BPE, last week of October,” he said.
The Comelec in Western Visayas, headed by Regional Election Director Dennis Ausan, issued an official advisory on June 20 confirming the new schedule.
Comelec-Iloilo City Office, through Election Assistant II Jonathan Sayno, said preparations for the elections will continue despite the adjustment in registration dates.
“We are proceeding with our preparations until a law is signed postponing the BSKE,” Sayno said.
Earlier, Comelec-Iloilo City had announced a series of mall-based voter registration drives initially planned for July 1–11, including sites at Festive Walk Mall Iloilo, Robinsons Jaro, SM City Iloilo, and Robinsons Place Iloilo. Sayno noted that the same mall-based setup might still be used in October to maximize turnout.
As of the May 2025 midterm elections, Iloilo City had 330,629 registered voters, broken down as follows:
* Jaro – 90,897
* City Proper – 45,069
* La Paz – 38,251
* Arevalo – 35,850
* Lapuz – 24,401
Meanwhile, Western Visayas has a total of 3,128,562 registered voters:
* Iloilo – 1,649,730
* Capiz – 539,553
* Aklan – 414,890
* Antique – 399,553
* Guimaras – 124,930
Despite the postponement of voter registration, Comelec Chair Garcia stressed the importance of continuing preparations for the BSKE scheduled on December 1. He warned of possible legal issues if preparations were halted prematurely.
“What if we stop our preparations but the law isn’t signed or someone goes to the Supreme Court and gets a temporary restraining order? We will be the ones facing the problem,” he said.
Congress recently ratified the bicameral committee report on a bill extending the term of all barangay and SK officials from three to four years. However, the measure awaits the President’s signature before it can officially delay the BSKE./PN
