SC declares constitutional BSKE's resetting from Dec. 2025 to Nov. 2026

There will be no Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Dec. 1, 2025.

- By REY G. PANALIGAN

Instead, the BSKE will be held in November 2026 as mandated by Republic Act No. 12232 which was declared constitutional by the Supreme Court (SC) in a decision released on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

RA 12232 was signed into law by President Marcos last Aug. 13.

The new law limits the term of barangay officials to three terms with only one term for incumbent Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials. It also extended the term of office of barangay and SK officials from three to four years.

With the term extension, the Dec. 1, 2025 BSKE was reset to the first Monday of November 2026.

The first petition against RA 12232 was filed by lawyer Romulo B. Macalintal. Thereafter, two more petitions were filed by John Barry T. Tayam, and a group of young voters led by Mystro Yushi P. Fujii.

A petition for intervention was filed by Liga ng Mga Barangays sa Pilipinas which asked the SC to declare as constitutional RA No. 12232.

In denying the petitions against RA 12232, the SC-through Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez-said the law is fundamentally a term-setting law for Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials, establishing a four-year term and prohibiting consecutive terms for the Sangguniang Kabataan officials.

The SC pointed out that RA 12232 is not a law postponing elections and that the rescheduling of the elections is merely incidental.