Iloilo voter rolls reach 2.2M for 2026 BSKE

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Registered voters for the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in Iloilo province and Iloilo City have reached 2,208,634 as of April 21, according to the Commission on Elections.

The figure was recorded following the voter registration period from Oct. 20, 2025, to May 18, 2026.

Data from Comelec Iloilo showed that the province recorded 1,322,578 regular voters and 480,246 Sangguniang Kabataan voters, bringing the provincial electorate to 1,802,824.

Iloilo City logged 306,367 regular voters and 99,443 SK voters.

Iloilo Provincial Election Supervisor Reinier Layson said the figure may still increase, as around 44,868 voter registration applications filed during the April-to-May registration period remain pending verification.

He explained that the applications will undergo hearings and action by June 1 before they can be officially integrated into the total number of registered voters.

Layson noted that voter registration is unlikely to reopen before the November elections, as the poll body is already shifting its focus to election preparations.

Registration activities may resume by January or February 2027 in preparation for the 2028 national and local elections.

Despite discussions on a possible postponement of the BSKE, Layson assured the public that preparations are continuing as scheduled.

“Our position is to continue preparations unless there is a law postponing the elections. We are ready to conduct the BSKE. We continue to proceed with the process and we are on track with our calendar,” he stressed.

While no election areas of concern have been officially identified in Iloilo, Layson said formal coordination meetings between Comelec and security agencies have yet to be conducted.

He recalled that several barangays in the province were classified as areas of concern during the 2023 BSKE.

Amid the country’s heightened political climate, Comelec urged voters to remain vigilant against misinformation and to exercise their right to vote responsibly.

The poll body also reminded aspiring barangay and SK candidates that the filing of Certificates of Candidacy is scheduled from Sept. 28 to Oct. 5, 2026, under Resolution No. 11191.

Comelec likewise encouraged the public to coordinate with local election offices for official announcements and election-related guidance.

The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections fill the country’s most local elective posts, including barangay chairpersons, councilors, and youth council representatives, and have been postponed several times in recent years through legislation, which is why the poll body repeatedly stresses that preparations continue absent a new postponement law.