Manila: Innovations used in the May 12 midterm elections will be implemented again in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in December, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Tuesday. Interviewed on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said these innovations include early voting, mall voting, and priority polling places for vulnerable sectors. "We will continue to implement [these] in the BSKE," he said.

According to Philippines News Agency, the poll body official added they are also looking into using automated counting machines (ACMs) in some parts of the country. "And the Comelec also plans maybe in some parts of the country, although it's manual elections, maybe we can try the ACMs," Laudiangco said. "Although it is only in the barangay... we want to know how fast the process is, which is an advantage."

Laudiangco said the Comelec will continue preparing for the BSKE set for Dec. 1 in the absence of a law postponing it. "Our next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections are on December 1, 2025. This is the Comelec's fulfillment of the Macalintal vs. Comelec case, where our Supreme Court said that the next election should be on the first working Monday of December," he said. "So, Comelec, as long as there is no new law that says it will be postponed, we will continue our preparations because that is the order of our Supreme Court."

For the upcoming BSKE, the election period will be from Oct. 21 to Dec. 31, 2025, according to Comelec Resolution No. 11132 promulgated on April 21. During this period, carrying or transporting firearms and other deadly weapons are prohibited.