Barangay elections are elections in the Philippines held in the barangays, the smallest of the administrative divisions in the Philippines. Barangays make up cities and municipalities and are in turn divided into sitios and puroks, whose leaders are not elected. Voters aged 18 and over in each barangay are eligible to vote for one barangay captain and seven barangay councilors. Together, the barangay captain and barangay councilors make up the Sangguniang Barangay (barangay council). Voters aged 15 to 30 vote in elections for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), electing one SK chairperson and seven SK councilors during the same election. The winning SK chairperson serves as an ex officio member of the barangay council. When elections for both barangay and SK positions are held simultaneously, the event is called the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).

Barangay captains and SK chairpersons are elected using first-past-the-post voting, while barangay and SK councilors are elected using the plurality-at-large voting system, with each barangay serving as an at-large "district".

While candidates are nominally nonpartisan and do not represent political parties, slates consisting of a candidate for barangay captain and seven barangay councilor candidates are not uncommon. SK slates are also sometimes connected to a barangay captain's slate. Winning candidates serve a three-year term and may be reelected for up to two additional terms. Terms of office for barangay officials are usually extended when elections are postponed as a cost-saving measure.

Winning barangay captains in a municipality or city elect from among themselves an Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) president, who serves as their representative in the Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council) or Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council). ABC presidents in a province elect from among themselves a representative to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board). ABC presidents serving on provincial boards and city councils independent of any province elect from among themselves a national president and other officials of the Liga ng mga Barangay.

SK chairpersons undergo a similar series of indirect elections at each level, although there was no national leadership structure at the beginning of 2018.

History In a 1981 referendum, the electorate was asked if barangay elections should be done after the concurrently-held presidential election; the electorate carried the proposal. The Barangay Election Act of 1982 prescribed that the election shall be on May 17, 1982, terms start on June 7, and that terms shall be for six years.

Postponing barangay elections was done several times despite the 1987 Constitution and special laws like the Local Government Code of 1991 but in 2023, the Supreme Court held that the succeeding synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) shall be held on the first Monday of December 2025, and every three (3) years thereafter, pursuant to Republic Act No. 11462. The SC Public Information Office added: "More significantly, the said Decision laid down the criteria to serve as guidelines and principles for the bench, the bar, and the public as regards any government action that seeks to postpone any elections."

According to law expert Michael Henry Yusingco, political dynasties continue to victimize barangay elections, the latest results of which made genuine political competition impossible.

Elections since 1982 +Sangguniang BarangayDateLawTermStatusTotal barangaysTurnoutYearsStartedTotal%May 17, 1982BP 2226June 7, 1982Completed19,302,91066.35%May 9, 1988RA 66535January 1, 1989Postponed to November 1988—November 14, 1988RA 6679—Postponed to 1989—March 28, 1989May 1, 1989Completed~42,00018,876,33467.50%May 9, 1994RA 71603May 9, 1994Completed~42,00022,670,53264.75%May 12, 1997RA 85245May 12, 1997Completed~42,00024,322,41363.78%July 15, 2002RA 91643August 15, 2002Completed~42,00026,533,45170.30%October 31, 2005RA 9340—Postponed to 200741,995—October 29, 2007November 30, 2007Completed31,979,30968.14%October 25, 2010November 30, 2010Completed42,09534,154,17470.80%October 28, 2013November 30, 2013Completed42,02838,721,42172.11%October 30, 2016RA 10923—Postponed to 201741,948—October 29, 2017RA 10952—Postponed to 2018—May 14, 2018June 30, 2018Completed39,977,51669.67%May 12, 2020RA 11462—Postponed to 202242,001—December 5, 2022—Postponed to 2023—October 30, 2023RA 11935GR 263590January 1, 2024CompletedDecember 1, 2025RA 11462—Postponed to 202642,011November 2, 2026RA 122324Postponed to 2028November 13, 2028RA 123265December 1, 2026Scheduled +Sangguniang KabataanDateLawTermAge rangeStatusSynched withbarangayelections?Total barangaysTurnoutYearsStartedTotal%December 4, 1992RA 7160315–21Completed~42,0003,227,92677.20%May 9, 1994RA 7808—Postponed to 1996~42,000—May 6, 1996Completed~42,0003,340,92677.89%May 9, 2001RA 85245—Postponed to 2002~42,000—July 15, 2002RA 91643August 15, 200215–18Completed~42,0001,980,82977.37%October 31, 2005RA 9340—Postponed to 200741,995—October 29, 2007November 30, 2007Completed2,542,40885.29%October 25, 2010November 30, 2010Completed42,0952,101,40590.54%October 28, 2013RA 10632—Postponed up to 201542,028—October 30, 2016RA 10656—Postponed to 201741,948—October 29, 2017RA 10742—15–30Postponed to 2018—May 14, 2018June 30, 2018Completed13,529,26765.51%May 12, 2020RA 11462—Postponed to 202242,001—December 5, 2022—Postponed to 2023—October 30, 2023RA 11935GR 263590January 1, 2024CompletedDecember 1, 2025RA 11462January 1, 2026Postponed to 202642,011November 2, 2026RA 122324December 1, 2026Postponed to 2028November 13, 2028RA 123265December 1, 2026Scheduled

Indirect elections Barangay captain

SK chairperson

See also Local government in the Philippines List of cities and municipalities in the Philippines

References

External links Comelec.gov.ph: official Commission on Elections website Senate.gov.ph: Republic Act No. 9340