Barrita Elections for Barangay and SK Scheduled for October 2026, Yet Questions Arise
The Philippines finds itself in the midst of a legal battle over the constitutionality of Republic Act No. 12232 (RA 12232), a law that postpones the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) from December 2025 to November 2026.
Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal and youth leaders have challenged the law, arguing that the delay infringes upon the constitutional right to suffrage and to run for public office, particularly affecting youth voters who may "age out" of eligibility during the postponement period.
On August 15, 2025, Macalintal filed a 34-page petition with the Supreme Court (SC), requesting a temporary restraining order or status quo ante order to halt the implementation of RA 12232. He also pointed out constitutional and legal flaws in the law, which contradicts RA No. 11935 signed by President Marcos in 2022.
The Liga ng mga Barangay, representing over 42,000 barangays, has intervened in the case, arguing that RA 12232 is constitutional. They assert that the law extends the term of barangay officials in line with a new three-year term schedule under RA 9164, and that Congress holds the power to legislate the term and tenure of local officials.
The SC has previously declared a 2023 postponement of BSKE unconstitutional, affirming that barangay officials have a three-year term and elections should not be postponed without constitutional basis. The current case tests whether RA 12232 sufficiently addresses this by extending terms legally rather than unlawfully postponing elections.
Incumbent barangay officials who have served multiple consecutive terms will not be eligible to run for the same position in the November 2026 BSKE. The term of office for barangay officials and SK officials will extend from three years to up to twelve years, as specified by RA 12232.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed RA 12232 on August 13, 2025. The Supreme Court requires "sufficiently important, substantial, or compelling reasons" to postpone an election, and "election fatigue" or government budget issues are not valid reasons.
The fate of RA 12232 remains uncertain, with the Supreme Court yet to rule on the petition. If upheld, the law will postpone the BSKE until November 2026, while a ruling against it would maintain the original election date in December 2025.
[1] Macalintal, R. (2025). Petition for Prohibition, Mandamus and Certiorari. Supreme Court of the Philippines.
[2] Macalintal, R. (2025). Motion for Reconsideration. Supreme Court of the Philippines.
[3] Supreme Court of the Philippines. (2023). G.R. No. 263590, G.R. No. 263673.
[4] Rappler. (2025). SC to decide on petition vs postponed barangay, SK elections. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/2939745-sc-decide-petition-postponed-barangay-sk-elections
[5] ABS-CBN News. (2025). SC asked to halt implementation of postponed barangay, SK elections. Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/16/25/sc-asked-to-halt-implementation-of-postponed-barangay-sk-elections
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