A Facebook (FB) reel claimed that the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections set this December have been moved to October 2027. This post is misleading.
On May 18, a FB user posted a 59-second video of a report about the approval of Senate Bill No. 2816 on the third and final reading. This text was flashed throughout the video:
“INFORMATION. Hindi tuloy sa Dec, 2025 Brgy. Election Aprobado na OCTOBER, 2027 ITUTULOY (Not proceeding in Dec, 2025 Brgy. Election has been approved to be continued in October, 2027) ctto.”
This is misleading. Senate Bill (SB) No. 2816 has not been signed into law. The Barangay and SK elections will proceed as scheduled on Dec. 1, based on a Commission on Elections (Comelec) resolution and in accordance with Republic Act No. 11462.
On April 21, the Comelec promulgated Resolution No. 11132, which provides the calendar of activities for the Dec. 1 barangay and SK elections.
On Jan. 15, the official TikTok page of DZRH News uploaded the original video. It was a report on the Senate’s approval of SB No. 2816, which extends the term of office of barangay officials and SK members to four years and sets the next regular elections for “the first Monday of October 2027 and every four years thereafter.” The bill, however, is not yet a law. A misleading text was added to make the netizens believe that it had been approved by Congress and signed into law.
SB No. 2816 has been sent to the House of Representatives, requesting concurrence on Jan. 15. The counterpart House Bill No. 11287 was approved on second reading in January.
Following the legislative process, once House Bill No. 11287 passes on the third and final reading, the Senate and the House still have to agree on the final version to be sent for presidential action. Within 30 days from transmittal to Malacanang, the president then has the option to sign, veto or let the bill lapse into law.
In May 2024, the Comelec expressed hopes that the barangay and SK elections would be moved to 2026, given that they also have to prepare for the recently-concluded midterm elections. However, the Comelec left it to the Congress to decide.
Aside from the village and youth elections in December, the commission is also preparing for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao parliamentary polls this October.
The misleading post circulated six days after the midterm elections. VERA Files has debunked other mis-/disinformation related to the polls.
The misleading post by the FB user has so far garnered 169 reactions, 31 comments, 364 shares and 28,000 views. A copy was also shared on Instagram.
