President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed he will sign the bill postponing the December 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), citing the need to prioritize the country’s first-ever Bangsamoro Parliament elections in October.
He emphasized the historic significance of the BARMM vote, which will mark the first time a regional parliament in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is directly elected by the people.
Marcos made the statement less than a week before the bill seeking to defer the BSKE lapses into law on August 14.
Speaking to Manila-based reporters during a press briefing in Bangalore on August 8, ahead of his return to Manila, the President confirmed his decision: “No, I’ll sign it. I’ll sign it.”
He explained that holding the BSKE in December would place an excessive burden on the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which is already managing two major polls this year—the May midterm elections and the upcoming BARMM elections.
“Ang Comelec actually ang nagsasabi: ‘Hindi namin kaya’,” Marcos said.
“You have to remember, the BARMM election that is upcoming in October is the first time we have ever had this kind of election at all,” he added.
“Sa buong kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, hindi pa nagkaroon ng BARMM Parliament na hinalal ng tao.”
Marcos said that the success of the BARMM election is critical to the Mindanao peace process. (Argyll Geducos)
