The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of Republic Act No. 12232, which moved the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections from December this year to November 2026, saying the measure merely set a four-year term for local officials instead of postponing the polls.
In a statement, the Court said the law “neither abolished nor indefinitely suspended the elections, but simply changed the interval from three to four years.”
“It is not a law postponing elections. (T)he rescheduling of the elections is merely incidental,” the tribunal explained.
The decision, penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, affirmed that incumbent officials shall remain in office until their successors are elected.
The ruling dismissed the petition of election lawyer Romulo Macalintal and others, who argued that the measure violated the 2023 SC decision restricting election postponements without compelling justification.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed the law in August to give barangay and SK leaders more time to implement their programs.
The Court said Congress had exclusive authority under the Constitution to determine the term of office of barangay officials and that the new schedule keeps elections “regular, periodic and certain.”