ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has declined to take a firm position on proposals in Congress to postpone the November 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections and extend the terms of incumbent officials.
“For me, kon madayun, maayo man. Kon i-postpone, maayo man. You know why? Kon wala sang elections, mabuhin-buhinan ang aton nga alatendiron,” Defensor said.
He added: “I leave that to the wisdom of Congress kon ano ang panan-aw nila nga maayo sa aton.”
Either holding or postponing the elections would have little effect on his work as governor, Defensor said, although campaigning could temporarily disrupt the duties of incumbent barangay officials, particularly those seeking reelection.
“Waay or indi gid man sia bearing sa trabaho naton diri. (In the barangay) may ara sia kay ti sa barangay ang election, naga-untat to sila anay (work). Sa aton (in the provincial capitol) wala gid. Sa tuod-tuod lang, daw wala gid man ako sang pilion dira,” Defensor added.
According to the governor, postponing the elections could spare candidates and officials from the exhaustion of campaigning, which may affect administrative work.
Holding the elections as scheduled this November 2026 would allow voters to choose a new set of barangay and SK officials and provide communities an opportunity to replace poorly performing or compromised leaders.
Bills seeking to postpone the 2026 barangay and SK polls and extend the terms of their officials have been filed in both chambers of Congress. Among the reasons cited by proponents is the continuing energy emergency arising from the Middle East crisis.
The barangay and SK elections have repeatedly been postponed through legislation.
Recently, the Iloilo-based Kahublagan Kontra Kurapsyon (KKK) urged Malacañang and Congress to reject any proposal to postpone the elections, warning that another delay would extend the “unearned holdover tenures” of incumbent officials and deprive voters of the power to demand accountability.
According to the group, only 10 of the 18 scheduled barangay elections since 1982 have pushed through, while SK polls have been postponed nine times.
“This chronic cycle of delays normalizes unearned holdover tenures, reducing regular elections from a guaranteed constitutional right of the people to a political bargaining chip with higher officials,” KKK stressed.
Timely village elections are crucial, the group added, because barangay officials exercise direct authority over government services, infrastructure projects and public funds that affect residents’ daily lives.
“Regular village elections are where community members most intimately experience public administration – whether through the distribution of social welfare benefits, local infrastructure projects, or barangay fund allocations,” KKK stated.
Repeatedly extending the terms of barangay and SK officials could entrench political patronage, weaken public oversight and create conditions in which corruption could flourish, it warned.
“Regular elections are integral to the public’s anti-corruption efforts, providing citizens with the means to audit local governance and replace ineffectual or corrupt officials,” the group stated. “Denying voters this opportunity diminishes grassroots accountability and empowers corruption to thrive unchecked.”/PN
