Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal on Monday urged the Senate to suspend its rules to allow public opposition against a proposed measure extending the terms of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials from four to five years.
In a letter to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, Macalintal requested permission for concerned citizens to speak during plenary or committee deliberations, calling the petition a “desperate remedy” to halt the bill set for floor debate this week.
The proposal would effectively push the next Barangay and SK Elections (BSKE) from November 2026 to November 2028. Macalintal argued that Republic Act 12232, which set the current four-year term, was enacted only in August 2025 and has yet to complete a single electoral cycle.
Macalintal warned that postponing the polls violates voters’ constitutional rights and Supreme Court precedent, which strictly limits Congress’s power to defer elections.
He emphasized that any term extension must apply prospectively to officials elected in November 2026, rather than granting holdover status to incumbents through “unconstitutional legislative appointment.”
He added that canceling the 2026 polls would waste over P8 billion already committed by the Commission on Elections for nationwide preparations.