2026 Philippine Barangay and SK Elections

The 2026 Philippine Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections are scheduled to take place on November 2, 2026, when communities across the country will choose their grassroots and youth leaders.

During the nationwide polls, voters will elect barangay captains and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairpersons, along with the members of the Sangguniang Barangay or village council and the SK councils in each of the 42,011 barangays throughout the Philippines. The elections play a key role in shaping local governance and youth representation at the community level.

The polls were initially set for December 1, 2025, but the schedule was later moved after Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed legislation postponing the elections to November 2026, extending the term of incumbent barangay and SK officials.

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Updated Barangay Count Ahead of the 2026 Elections

As of March 2026, the Philippines is home to 42,011 barangays, according to data compiled for the upcoming November 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). This marks an increase from the 42,001 barangays contested in the 2023 elections, reflecting the creation and reorganization of local communities over the past few years.

Several successful plebiscites between 2024 and 2025 contributed to the updated count:

• Caloocan City: The country’s largest barangay, Barangay 176 (Bagong Silang), was divided into six new barangays—176-A through 176-F—to better manage its massive population.
• Marawi, Lanao del Sur: Three new barangays—Sultan Corobong, Sultan Panoroganan, and Angoyao—were established to enhance local governance.
• Other regions: New barangays also include Guinhalinan in Barabo, Surigao del Sur, and Juan-Loreto Tamayo in Tupi, South Cotabato, giving residents more localized representation.

While the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) oversees the electoral process in these barangays, the official master list of barangays is maintained through the Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), ensuring accurate and standardized records for governance and election purposes.

This updated barangay map underscores the continuing evolution of the Philippines’ local government structure and sets the stage for one of the most comprehensive barangay and youth council elections in recent history.

Electoral system

In the Philippines, every barangay functions as the smallest unit of local government and is led by an elected chief executive known as the barangay captain, alongside an eight-member legislative body called the Sangguniang Barangay or village council. Of these eight seats, seven councilors are elected at-large by the community during the 2026 Philippine Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections, forming the core legislative body responsible for crafting policies and overseeing programs at the village level.

Youth participation in governance is ensured through the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), the official youth council in every barangay. Voters aged 15 to 30 years old elect among themselves the SK chairperson, who automatically becomes the eighth member of the Sangguniang Barangay. At the same time, seven additional SK councilors are also elected at-large to serve in the youth council, giving young Filipinos a direct voice in community decision-making.

Both the barangay captain and the SK chairperson are chosen through the first-past-the-post electoral system, where the candidate with the highest number of votes wins. Meanwhile, members of the Sangguniang Barangay and the SK council are elected using the multiple non-transferable vote system, allowing voters to select several candidates from a list. All officials elected in the barangay and youth councils serve four-year terms.

Barangay-level elections are officially nonpartisan, meaning candidates do not run under formal political party banners. However, informal alliances and candidate slates are common. Groups of candidates often campaign together, such as a barangay captain with seven councilor candidates, or an SK chairperson with a full slate of SK councilors. Despite the nonpartisan structure, political parties are widely believed to provide quiet or indirect support to preferred candidates during the campaigns.

After the elections, barangay captains across a city or municipality choose from among themselves a president of the Liga ng mga Barangay, previously known as the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC). This leader represents the barangays and automatically gains a seat in the municipal or city council, ensuring grassroots concerns are heard in higher levels of local government.

The leadership selection continues upward through the political structure. City and municipal ABC presidents within a province elect a provincial ABC president, who then becomes a member of the provincial board. These provincial and independent city leaders eventually select the national leadership of the Liga ng mga Barangay, forming a representation system that links local barangay officials to national-level coordination.

In contrast, SK chairpersons do not have an equivalent national federation following reforms implemented in 2018. While the SK remains an important platform for youth leadership and participation, its officials do not currently have the same structured national organization that represents barangay captains.

Preparations for the 2026 Barangay and SK Elections

Preparations for the 2026 Philippine Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections have been shaped by a series of legal decisions and legislative changes that altered the country’s electoral timetable for grassroots leadership.

Originally, the barangay and youth council elections were scheduled to take place in 2022. However, the Philippine government later approved a law postponing the polls to October 2023, extending the terms of incumbent barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials. Under that revised timeline, elections would occur every three years, placing the next round of polls in 2026 following the 2023 vote.

The situation took another turn in June 2023, when the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that the law postponing the elections to 2023 was unconstitutional. Despite the ruling, the high court allowed the 2023 barangay and SK elections to proceed as scheduled, citing the need to avoid further disruptions in the country’s electoral process.

At the same time, the court clarified the future schedule of barangay-level elections. It ordered that the next elections be conducted in 2025, with subsequent polls to follow every three years thereafter, in accordance with the legal interpretation of the election cycle.

The ruling created a complex transition period in the country’s local electoral calendar and triggered discussions among policymakers and election authorities about how to properly align future barangay and youth council elections.

As the Philippines moves closer to the next round of grassroots voting, government agencies and local officials continue preparing the groundwork for elections that will determine leadership in more than 42,000 barangays nationwide, reinforcing the critical role these polls play in shaping governance at the community level.

Postponement of the Barangay and SK Elections

The schedule of the 2026 Philippine Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections underwent intense debate and legislative scrutiny before its final date was confirmed, reflecting ongoing efforts by policymakers to adjust the country’s grassroots electoral calendar.

In June 2024, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) expressed support for moving the barangay and youth council elections to 2026, explaining that separating them from national and local elections would ease logistical pressure on the election body and improve overall election management.

The proposal soon gained traction in Congress. Martin Romualdez, Speaker of the House of Representatives, introduced a bill seeking to extend the term of barangay officials to six years, with a maximum of two consecutive terms. The proposal also aimed to prolong the tenure of incumbent officials until 2029.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Imee Marcos sponsored a separate measure in November 2024 that proposed postponing the elections to 2029 and conducting future barangay polls every six years thereafter. Marcos argued that longer terms would allow barangay leaders to deepen their understanding of national and local governance and provide them with sufficient time to implement long-term development initiatives. She also emphasized that a revised schedule would prevent barangay elections from coinciding with national and local elections.

As discussions progressed, lawmakers introduced updated versions of the proposal. A revised Senate bill proposed four-year terms for barangay officials, with those elected in 2023 serving until 2027 while continuing in a holdover capacity from 2025 onward. In contrast, a House proposal retained the six-year term framework and extended the service of incumbent officials until 2029. The House measure was sponsored by Quezon City Representative Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar.

Despite legislative momentum, the proposals faced opposition from election watchdogs and legal experts. Prominent election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, who previously challenged the constitutionality of earlier election postponements, criticized the move alongside the Legal Network for Truthful Elections, warning against repeated delays in the democratic process.

On April 21, 2025, COMELEC released its initial election calendar, tentatively scheduling the barangay polls for December 1, 2025. However, legislative developments soon altered the timeline again. By June 12, 2025, both chambers of Congress had ratified a bicameral conference committee report setting the terms of barangay officials at four years with up to two re-elections, while Sangguniang Kabataan officials would serve four-year terms without the possibility of re-election. The agreement also postponed the 2025 elections to November 2026.

Because of these changes, COMELEC temporarily suspended voter registration activities, rescheduling them from July to October after the Bangsamoro Parliament Election 2025 to avoid conflicts in election preparations.

In defending the new measure, Senator Marcos explained that the legislation differed from Republic Act No. 11935, which had earlier been struck down by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. She noted that the previous law simply extended the tenure of incumbents after postponing the election, whereas the new bill clearly established fixed terms and term limits for barangay and SK officials.

Macalintal, however, maintained his opposition, arguing that extending the officials’ service effectively prolonged their tenure without a fresh mandate from voters.

By August 2025, COMELEC Chairman George Garcia announced that the commission had been informed that Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would sign the measure into law. On August 14, 2025, the president formally approved the bill, officially postponing the elections to November 2026. The law extended the terms of incumbent barangay officials until the rescheduled polls and increased the term length of newly elected officials to four years, while maintaining a limit of two re-elections for barangay officials and no re-election for SK officials.

Soon after the law’s enactment, Macalintal again brought the issue before the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the postponement. He argued that the law failed to meet the court’s earlier standard requiring an “important, substantial, or compelling reason” to justify delaying elections.

However, in November 2025, the Supreme Court of the Philippines dismissed the petition, effectively upholding the decision to postpone the elections and confirming that the next barangay and youth council polls would proceed in 2026.

Voter Registration for the 2026 Barangay and SK Elections

Preparations for the 2026 Philippine Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections gained momentum as the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) rolled out a nationwide voter registration program aimed at ensuring broad public participation, particularly among young Filipinos.

The initial voter registration period was held from August 1 to August 10, 2025, drawing a significant number of new registrants across the country. According to COMELEC, approximately 2.7 million individuals successfully registered during this short window, with a notable 65 percent coming from the youth sector—a reflection of strong interest among young voters in participating in grassroots governance.

Election officials welcomed the turnout, emphasizing that youth engagement is particularly important in barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, where younger citizens play a direct role in electing youth leaders who will represent their concerns at the community level.

To accommodate more voters and ensure that those who missed the first schedule could still register, COMELEC reopened voter registration on October 20, 2025. The extended registration period is set to continue until May 18, 2026, giving eligible Filipinos ample time to enlist as voters ahead of the highly anticipated grassroots polls.

The extended timeline is part of the commission’s broader effort to maximize voter participation and strengthen democratic engagement at the barangay level, where local leaders and youth representatives are elected to serve communities across the Philippines.

Statistics Ahead of the 2026 Barangay and SK Elections

The landscape of local governance in the Philippines has expanded as the country prepares for the 2026 Philippine Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the total number of barangays in the country has increased from 42,001 in 2023 to 42,011 as of March 31, 2025. These newly created barangays will participate in the upcoming elections for the first time, reshaping the electoral map and giving more communities representation in local governance.

Newly Created Barangays

Several barangays emerged after successful plebiscites in 2024:

• Marawi, Lanao del Sur:
  • Barangay Sultan Corobong – carved from Barangay Dulay Proper
  • Barangay Sultan Panoroganan – carved from Barangay Kilala
  • Barangay Angoyao – carved from Barangay Patan
    (Plebiscite held on March 9, 2024)
• Tupi, South Cotabato:
  • Barangay Juan-Loreto Tamayo – formed from portions of barangays Cebuano, Linan, and Miasong
    (Plebiscite held on July 13, 2024)
• Barabo, Surigao del Sur:
  • Barangay Guinhalinan
    (Plebiscite held on August 10, 2024)
• Caloocan City:
  • Barangays 176-A, 176-B, 176-C, 176-D, 176-E, and 176-F – created after the division of Barangay 176 (Bagong Silang), the country’s most populous barangay
    (Plebiscite held on August 31, 2024)

Additionally, Las Piñas City redrew the boundaries of several barangays following a plebiscite held on June 29, 2024, further refining local governance and representation.

These changes not only expand the total number of barangays but also have significant implications for local leadership elections. Residents of these newly formed barangays will elect their first set of barangay captains and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, bringing governance closer to the people and ensuring that emerging communities have a direct voice in decision-making.

With these adjustments, the 2026 elections are shaping up to be one of the most dynamic barangay and youth council polls in recent history, reflecting both demographic growth and the ongoing evolution of local governance in the Philippines.