No polls in 2025: SC resets BSKE to November 2026

National

THERE will be no barangay and youth elections in December 2025 after all.

The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of a law that moves the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to November 2026 and extends the term of local officials to four years.

In a decision released on November 11, the High Court affirmed the validity of Republic Act No. 12232, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on August 13, 2024.

The law extends the term of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials from three to four years, limiting barangay officials to three consecutive terms and allowing SK officials only one term. Incumbent officials will stay in office until their successors are elected in November 2026.

Writing for the Court, Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez said RA 12232 is “fundamentally a term-setting law” that standardizes the term of barangay and SK officials and bars SK leaders from serving consecutive terms.

The Court said the measure only adjusts the election schedule to fit the new term length and does not violate the public’s right to vote since elections remain regular and periodic. Voters, it added, still have the ability to hold their leaders accountable and maintain democratic control at the community level.

Three petitions had sought to nullify the law, filed by lawyer Romulo B. Macalintal, John Barry T. Tayam, and a group of young voters led by Mystro Yushi P. Fujii.

Macalintal argued that Congress cannot postpone elections or extend the terms of elected officials and warned that keeping incumbents in office longer effectively installs unelected leaders.

“Thus, the grave abuse of discretion committed by the Public Respondents is further aggravated by their decision to impose ‘appointed’ barangay leaders upon the people by allowing them to hold over for almost a year without a mandate from the electorate,” he said in a Manila Bulletin report.

The youth petitioners argued that some voters would lose eligibility to run for or vote in SK elections because of the age limits under the law.

Opposing the petitions, the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas, led by National President Maria Katrina Jessica G. Dy, urged the Court to uphold RA 12232, saying Congress has the constitutional power to fix terms of barangay and SK officials.

The group said the measure differs from the 2023 law that merely postponed elections, noting that RA 12232 instead establishes a four-year term.

The Court also ruled that the law is not discriminatory since barangays perform distinct functions and operate with simpler structures than other local government units.(MyTVCebu)