CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — More than 1.52 million registered voters in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro should continue preparing for the Nov. 2 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) says it is moving ahead with preparations despite efforts in Congress to postpone the polls. 

Misamis Oriental Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Carlito L. Ravelo said the provincial Comelec office has completed most of its pre-election work, including the finalization of the Project of Precincts, which lists 1,522,027 registered voters and 6,978 regular precincts across the province and Cagayan de Oro. 

"Until a law postponing the elections is enacted, our preparations continue," Ravelo said. 

Comelec has also started recruiting around 15,000 election workers, including public school teachers who will serve as Electoral Board members, along with police officers, military personnel, and other support staff who will help administer and secure the elections. 

Of the province's total voters, 1,111,405 are regular registered voters, while 410,622 are registered Sangguniang Kabataan voters who will vote in 504 barangays across Misamis Oriental. 

The elections will be conducted in 476 voting centers with 3,318 clustered precincts. 

Among local government units, Gingoog City has the province's largest voting population, with 96,314 regular voters and 39,869 SK voters. 

It is followed by Tagoloan (48,741), El Salvador City (47,508), Jasaan (39,246), Opol (39,010), and Claveria (38,165). 

In Cagayan de Oro City, the First District has 216,175 regular voters and 75,383 SK voters, while the Second District has 200,053 regular voters and 68,644 SK voters. 

Ravelo said the finalized Project of Precincts will determine polling places, guide the deployment of election personnel, and help ensure an orderly and peaceful election on Nov. 2. 

Preparations continue even as lawmakers seek to postpone the barangay and youth elections. 

Misamis Oriental Second District Rep. and Deputy Speaker Yevgeny Vincente "Bambi" Emano is among the authors of House Bill No. 10591, which proposes moving the BSKE from Nov. 2, 2026 to the last Monday of November 2028. 

The bill cites several reasons for the proposed postponement, including giving Comelec more time to prepare for the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on Sept. 14, 2026, repairing schools damaged by recent earthquakes that will serve as polling centers, addressing possible power supply disruptions linked to tensions in the Middle East, and concerns that the proposed ₱19-billion budget may not be enough to conduct the elections.

As of Wednesday, however, the bill has not yet been enacted into law. 

Until then, Comelec said voters should expect the Nov. 2 BSKE to proceed as scheduled while election preparations continue across Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro.