Comelec to Proceed with 2025 Automated National Elections, Manual Barangay Polls After Supreme Court Ruling

Manila – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced its plan to conduct two major elections in 2025, with the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to be held manually. Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia discussed the organization’s commitment to follow the Supreme Court’s decision concerning the legality of postponing the December 2025 BSKE during a press briefing on Wednesday.

According to a news release by the Philippines News Agency, the body has accepted the Supreme Court’s decision to deny the Office of the Solicitor General’s motion for reconsideration regarding the postponement of the December 2025 BSKE. “We will proceed with both elections; however, the BSKE might not be automated due to budget constraints. The National and Local Elections (NLE) in May, on the other hand, will be automated,” Garcia said. He mentioned that Comelec had proposed a PHP30 billion budget for the automated NLE in May 2025, of which around PHP22 billion has been initially approved.

Garcia also addressed the immediate assumption of office by the winning candidates in the upcoming October 30 BSKE. “The term for those who were supposed to be elected in December 2022 begins on January 1, as does the term for those who will be elected on October 30. Hence, they should assume office immediately upon their proclamation the next day,” he explained.

As for the operational status of the precinct finder system, Garcia confirmed its smooth functioning since its launch on Tuesday night. He urged voters who encounter errors to verify the accuracy of their encoded information, including proper spelling and capitalization. He specified that the required information comprises the full name, birth date, and area of registry.

“If voters still face difficulties in accessing their precinct designation despite accurate encoding, they have three alternative options on election day,” Garcia stated. These alternatives include consulting help desks by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) in schools, checking an official list of voters posted outside each precinct or schoolroom, or referring to the book inside the polling room containing voters’ pictures, signatures, and fingerprints.