By CESAR JOLITO III

The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) said their preparations for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in 2025, originally scheduled on December 1, have been temporarily suspended.

The move comes as the Supreme Court deliberates on a petition questioning the constitutionality of postponing the elections to November 2026.

However, Comelec-NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano said this does not automatically rule out the possibility of holding the polls within the year.

Comelec-NIR is also awaiting instructions from Comelec Chairman George Garcia on the resumption of voter registration this October, which will include new applicants and transfer requests.

Satellite registration sites in malls, schools, upland, and island barangays are also set to reopen.

Comelec will continue its voters’ education campaign in partnership with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting to prepare the electorate for either outcome once the Supreme Court issues its decision.

Meanwhile, Comelec is set to push for a nationwide General Voters Registration in 2026, a move aimed at cleansing the voters’ list and preventing multiple registrations.

Castillano said they will propose before the Congress to allocate funding for the undertaking, which would require all voters to re-register.

“We admit that the current list is not perfect since we only rely on reports from local civil registrars for updates on deceased voters in every locality,” Castillano explained.

Among the reasons for the proposal are to eliminate duplicate or multiple voter records and to modernize the biometric system.

Instead of the current three-fingerprint scan, the new process will require 10-fingerprint scanning, including eye scans, to strengthen identity verification.

Castillano hopes that Congress will support and fund the initiative.

“An election cannot be considered clean if multiple registrants remain in the system,” he stressed./CJ, WDJ