The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) will be held simultaneously on October 30. Voters aged 18 and above will elect their barangay chairperson and seven council members or kagawad. Youth voters aged 15-30 will choose the SK chairperson and seven SK kagawad.
The BSKE was supposed to be held in December 2022, but it was moved to the last Monday of October 2023 after the passage of Republic Act No. 11935. Although the Supreme Court declared
this change unconstitutional, it recognized the “legal practicality and necessity” to proceed with the election on the last Monday of October this year.
The barangay is the most basic unit of local government in our country. Under the Local Government Code of 1991, barangay officials are tasked with leading the delivery of certain essential services (such as a health center, street cleanliness, and garbage collection) and the maintenance of peace and order in the communities. Meanwhile, the SK gives the youth a voice in local governance and social concerns. Those elected to the SK will serve as youth representatives in the local government and launch programs for the young people in the barangay. Therefore, if we want to see change in politics and governance, we must start in our barangay.
Find out in this issue of Intersect Quick Facts (IQF) some important information about BSKE. What are the powers and duties of barangay and SK officials? What qualities should we look for in candidates? And since our participation in the barangay does not end on election day, what are some ways that we can monitor the public officials whom we elected?
Download here:
English (bit.ly/IQF-BSKE-Eng)
Filipino (bit.ly/IQF-BSKE-Fil)
Bisaya (bit.ly/IQF-BSKE-Bisaya)