President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed into law the measure postponing this year’s barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) to allow the government to focus on the first-ever parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Republic Act No. 12232 moves the scheduled December 1, 2025 BSKE to the first Monday of November 2026, which falls on November 2—All Souls’ Day. The regular BSKE will be held every four years thereafter.
A copy of the signed law was sent to Malacañang reporters on Wednesday night and will also be published in the Official Gazette.
RA 12232 extends the terms of barangay and SK officials to four years, from the current three years under the Local Government Code of 1991. Barangay officials can still serve for three consecutive terms—or up to 12 years—in the same position, while SK officials are limited to one term.
Incumbent barangay officials serving their third consecutive term will no longer be eligible to run for the same position in the November 2026 polls.
Marcos earlier voiced his support for postponing the BSKE, saying it was the “most sensible and the most common-sense solution” for the government to properly conduct the BARMM parliamentary elections on October 13, 2025.
Voters in BARMM will elect new parliament members to replace the interim Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), currently composed of presidential appointees.
Marcos emphasized the significance of the BARMM elections, saying they are “so important” and that their failure “would compromise the ongoing peace process.”