FACT CHECK: No special barangay, SK elections on November 28, 2026

Comelec debunked the circulating graphic as false and a manipulated version of the Batanes Lone Legislative District Special Election calendar of activities

AT A GLANCE

• The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has confirmed that there will be no special barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on November 28, 2026, despite false claims circulating on social media.
• A manipulated graphic claiming to detail the election calendar was flagged by Comelec, which clarified that only a special election for the Lone Legislative District of Batanes will occur on that date.
• President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a law postponing the barangay and SK elections to November 2028, extending the terms of current officials and establishing new eligibility rules.

This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors.

Claim: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) released a calendar of activities for the special barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) on November 28, 2026.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook page Rosas Marlon Vlogs posted the claim on October 5. The post included a graphic supposedly released by Comelec detailing the calendar of activities for the barangay and SK special elections, specifying dates for the start of certificate of candidacy filing, campaign period, and election day on November 28, 2026.

The original post was deleted. However, several accounts reposted the graphic.

One post by Jay-ar Arceño reached over 300 reactions and 100 comments as of writing. Kahzumie Izunah also posted the graphic, which reached 300 reactions and 100 shares.

The facts: There will be no special elections for barangay and SK positions on November 28, 2026. Comelec debunked the circulating claim in a Facebook post on October 8.

The commission flagged the graphic as a manipulated version of a calendar of activities for the special election in Batanes.

“Totoo ang magaganap na Special Elections sa Lone Legislative District ng Lalawigan ng Batanes sa November 28, 2026 para punan ang posisyong nabakante ng yumaong kongresista nito na si Hon. Ciriaco B. Gato, Jr.,” the statement read.

(The Special Election for the Lone Legislative District of the Province of Batanes will indeed take place on November 28, 2026, to fill the position vacated by its late congressman, Hon. Ciriaco B. Gato, Jr.)

However, the poll body clarified that there will be no special barangay and SK elections in the province of Batanes or anywhere else in the country. The commission warned social media users to be cautious with unverified information and reminded them to cross-check official statements from Comelec and other reliable sources.

BSKE postponement: On September 24, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12326, which fixes the term of barangay and SK officials to five years and postpones the BSKE slated in November 2026 to November 2028.

The law states that incumbent elective barangay officials would be considered to have completed one term in their respective positions, considering the extension of their terms by two years. 

It also clarified that those serving their final term will be ineligible to run for the same position in the November 2028 BSKE. 

The last BSKE was held in 2023, with the next one originally slated for December 2025 before Marcos signed a law moving the date to November 2026. 

Earlier in September, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed their versions of the bill setting a five-year term for barangay and SK officials. – Lourence Angelo Marcellana/Rappler.com

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.