MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it is gearing up for a "hotly contested" Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Oct. 30.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said this is because the upcoming polls would be more personal for both candidates and voters.

“Mas personal dahil nga sa magkakapatid, magkakamag-anak, magkakapitbahay, magkakakilala talaga and then therefore, habang papalapit ‘yung pagpoproklama o nalalaman kung sino ang nananalo, lalong nagiging mainit ang halalan,” Garcia explained.

(It is more personal because candidates and voters are blood relatives, neighbors, and even acquaintances. Therefore, we expect the polls to get more heated as we get closer to proclaiming winners.)

Individuals gunning for barangay and youth council posts are expected to file their certificates of candidacy (COC) starting Monday, Aug. 28. At the same time, an election gun ban will also be in force.

The election period and gun ban will be in effect from Aug. 28 to Nov. 29, while COCs must be filed between Aug. 28 and Sep. 2.

Once a person files his or her COC, he or she will already be considered a candidate and will be prohibited from campaigning except during the prescribed period from Oct. 19 to 28.

• BSKE election period, gun ban start on August 28

Garcia also noted the importance of the barangay and SK polls, as Filipinos often run to village officials first when faced with problems within their localities.

"Ang barangay ang frontliners natin sa panahon ng pandemya, naandyan sila. Sa panahon ng mga sunog, barangay ang ating nilalapitan. Kaya ganiyan po ka-importante ang barangay [elections]," the poll body chair said.

(Barangay officials were our frontliners during the height of the pandemic. We run first to barangay officials to seek help when there's a fire. That's how important our barangay elections are.)

Comelec said voters in all 42,000 barangays in the Philippines would have to vote for the following positions on Oct. 30:

• 1 barangay chairman
• 7 Sangguniang Barangay members (kagawad)
• 1 SK chairperson
• 7 SK members

According to data gathered by ABS-CBN News Research, some of the barangay chairman's powers include police powers to keep peace and order, the power to tax residents, and the power to enter contracts authorized by his or her sanggunian.

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Video courtesy of Comelec

To run for a barangay position, a candidate must be a Filipino, a registered voter in the village where he or she intends to run, and must be at least 18 years old on election day.

The SK, on the other hand, is responsible for programs and projects that promote the welfare of their barangay's young residents, including the creation and implementation of a Comprehensive Youth Development Plan.

SK candidates must be at least 18 years old but not more than 24 years old on election day.

Candidates are also required to know how to read and write in Filipino, English, or the local dialect.

Barangay and SK officials serve for three years. But because of a Supreme Court decision ordering the next local polls to be held in Oct. 2025, winners of this year's elections would serve shorter terms.

• 2-year term awaits 2023 BSKE winners

But Comelec said it was planning to file a motion to persuade the court to reconsider its ruling.

"Dapat October 2026 ang susunod na elections para three years din ang kanilang term of office. Napakahirap din dahil sa bawat postponement sa aming part, mag-aadjust kami when it comes to number of precincts, number of voters, number of teachers," Garcia said.

(The next elections should be in Oct. 2026 so that this year's winners would have three years in their terms of office. It's also difficult on our part to adjust the number of precincts, voters, and teachers.)

Voting centers open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 30.

But in Muntinlupa and Naga City in Albay, early voting hours from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. will be implemented for senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples.

After the elections, all barangay and SK candidates—whether they won or lost—are required to submit their Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) until Nov. 29.

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