October 30 declared special non-working day for barangay, SK polls

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has declared October 30 as a special non-working day, allowing Filipinos to participate in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. 

Proclamation 359, which was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, stressed that “it is imperative that the people be given the full opportunity to participate in the said elections and exercise their right to suffrage.”

In June, the Supreme Court declared the law that moved the barangay and SK polls to Oct. 30, 2023 from Dec. 5, 2022 unconstitutional. But it ordered the October 2023 polls to proceed anyway as the ruling was issued more than six months after the initial schedule of the elections. 

The court ruled that succeeding barangay elections will be held on the first Monday of December 2025, and every three years thereafter.

The last barangay elections took place in 2018.