Veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal has called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to veto the proposed bill that seeks to extend the terms of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials from three to four years, saying it undermines Filipinos’ fundamental right to vote.
“For President Marcos to approve this bill or allow it to lapse into law would be tantamount to abandoning the sacred right of suffrage of the Filipino electorate,” Macalintal said in an Inquirer.net report, warning that the measure lacks constitutional grounding and legitimate public interest.
Under the bill ratified by Congress, the next Barangay and SK Elections (BSKE) will be moved from December 1, 2025, to November 2, 2026 — a date that coincides with All Souls’ Day, when many Filipinos are traditionally occupied with honoring their departed loved ones. Macalintal called this timing “impractical.”
He pointed out that the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Macalintal vs. Comelec clearly stated that any postponement of elections must be based on a valid government interest, to preserve the essence of genuine, periodic elections. “The reconciled bill that Congress wants Marcos to sign lacks any valid reason or government interest to support its passage,” he emphasized.
Macalintal likened the new bill to Republic Act No. 11935, which postponed the 2022 BSKE and was later declared unconstitutional. He stressed that the Supreme Court found no legitimate justification for that postponement, warning that another similar measure could once again violate the Constitution.
He closed by urging President Marcos to uphold the rule of law and safeguard democratic principles by rejecting the proposed term extension. “The Court warned that election postponement could foster a government that is not democratic and republican as mandated by the Constitution,” Macalintal reminded.
