We, the electorate, were originally scheduled to elect our new barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials in December 2025. However, this was pushed back to November 2026 through Republic Act No. 12232, enacted in August 2025. This resulted in a one-year postponement of the BSKE and a corresponding one-year term extension for incumbent officials.
Now, a new enrolled bill awaiting action from President Marcos proposes to postpone the November 2026 elections further to November 2028. This translates to a staggering two-year postponement and another two-year term extension. Combined, this gives us a total of three years of postponement and a three-year unauthorized term extension for incumbent officials.
This means three long years where we, the electorate, are stripped of our fundamental right of suffrage. It means three years of being governed by local officials who were not chosen by the ballot, but effectively thrust upon us through what amounts to a legislative appointment.
This constitutes a grave violation of the Constitution, which empowers Congress to fix the term of office of barangay officials, but not to indefinitely prolong or extend their tenure without a genuine mandate from the people.
The Supreme Court, in the landmark cases of Macalintal v. Comelec (2023) and Macalintal vs Senate (2025) and subsequent jurisprudence, firmly established that while Congress has legislative discretion, the postponement of elections cannot be done arbitrarily. It requires urgent, substantial, and compelling reasons-and must never be ‘unreasonable and unduly long.’
A cumulative three-year postponement devoid of any valid, pressing justification is manifestly unreasonable, unduly long, and deeply unconstitutional. We must uphold the rule of law and protect our sacred right to choose our grassroots leaders.
Editor’s Note: This article was submitted on the eve of President Marcos signing into law the bill postponing the November 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to 2028. The author is an election lawyer.