League of barangays asks SC to dismiss petitions vs BSKE postponement

The association of 42,011 barangays (villages) nationwide has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to declare as constitutional Republic Act No. 12232 that extended the term of office of the incumbent barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials from three to four years.

- By REY PANALIGAN

With the term extension, RA 12232 effectively postponed to Nov. 2, 2026 the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) originally set on Dec. 1, 2025.

In a motion to admit petition for intervention, the Liga ng Mga Barangay sa Pilipinas (Liga) represented by its National President Maria Katrina Jessica G. Dy asked the SC to dismiss two earlier petitions which challenged the constitutionality of RA 12232.

Dy was joined in the petition by about 50 barangay chairpersons in Isabela, Leyte, and Misamis Oriental, and represented by lawyers Alberto C.Agra, Janice Kristine R. Ramos, and Uella Vida V. Mancenido-Gayo.

They told the SC that Congress has the power to fix the term of office of barangay and SK officials under Sections 3 and 8 of Article X and Section 1, Article VI of the Constitution.