ILOILO – The two-year extension handed to barangay officials should not be treated as a political windfall but as an extended test of performance and accountability, Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) – Iloilo Province chapter president Amalia Debuque said, challenging officials in the province’s 1,721 barangays to prove they deserve the additional time in office.
“This is not a gift, but a responsibility for us to prove why we are deserving barangay officials,” Debuque said following the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) originally scheduled for Nov. 2, 2026.
Debuque said barangay officials should use the additional time to demonstrate to their constituents that the extension was not simply an opportunity to stay longer in office, but a responsibility to deliver better public service.
“Let us make use of this to prove that this was not simply handed to us. It is our responsibility to continue good governance in our barangays,” Debuque said.
She admitted that the postponement came as a surprise to barangay officials, many of whom had already been preparing to turn over their posts in anticipation of the November elections.
Debuque stressed that the Liga councils did not lobby for another extension of their terms, saying the move came from Congress.
In fact, she said, a majority of barangay officials in Iloilo had already begun preparing their transition teams and were being reminded about the required inventory checklist for the turnover of barangay properties, records and responsibilities.
“So, it’s a very nice surprise for us that barangay officials throughout the country were given another two-year extension,” Debuque said.
For Debuque, the additional two years would allow barangay officials to continue projects and programs already underway instead of leaving them unfinished because of a change in administration.
She cited the ongoing release of P200,000 to each of Iloilo province’s 1,721 barangays under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s “Bawat Barangay Makikinabang” program.
Debuque stressed that receiving the funds does not end a barangay official’s responsibility. Rather, it marks the beginning of further work because barangays must properly implement the projects and prepare liquidation reports detailing how the funds were disbursed.
“We still have so much work to do. Some of our barangay officials have many projects that they have already started. Now, they have the time to continue them,” Debuque said./PN
