President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved legislation resetting the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) from November 2026 to November 2028, clearing the way for longer terms for barangay and youth officials.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro confirmed on Friday, September 25, that the President had signed the measure. “Confirmed… postponed na din ang bgy and sk election. pirmado na ni pbbm,” Castro said, as reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The new law amends Republic Act No. 12232, which had scheduled the BSKE for November 2, 2026 and established four-year terms for barangay and SK officials. The latest legislation instead sets the next elections on the second Monday of November 2028, with succeeding polls to be conducted every five years.
The measure also changes the term limits for elected barangay officials, allowing them to serve no more than two consecutive terms in the same position. SK officials remain restricted to one term. Incumbents whose tenure is lengthened by the postponement will be treated as having completed one full term under the law’s transition provision.
Congress completed action on the legislation earlier this month. The Senate approved Senate Bill No. 2387 on September 14 by a 13-5 vote, while the House of Representatives adopted the Senate version on September 16, eliminating the need for a bicameral conference committee. The enrolled measure was subsequently transmitted to Malacañang.
The President’s signature came only days before the scheduled start of certificate of candidacy filing on September 28. Before the measure became law, the Commission on Elections had maintained that preparations for the November 2 polls would continue because the existing election schedule remained legally binding until presidential action changed it.
The postponement had drawn opposition from election groups and legal experts. Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal urged Marcos to reject the measure, questioning its treatment of the extended service of incumbent officials and arguing that an extension of tenure should be distinguished from an extension of an elected official’s fixed term. The Legal Network for Truthful Elections also called for a presidential veto.
The law replaces a framework Marcos himself approved in August 2025. Republic Act No. 12232 had already moved the BSKE from December 2025 to November 2026 and provided four-year terms for barangay and SK officials.
Senator Francis Escudero, the principal author and sponsor of the latest Senate measure, argued during deliberations that establishing five-year terms would give barangay and SK officials a longer uninterrupted period to develop, carry out and assess local programs before facing another election.
