Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to veto the bill that would postpone the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to November 2028, saying the measure contains legal issues that need to be addressed.
Macalintal said he received an email from Malacañang confirming that his letter-petition asking Marcos to reject the measure is being evaluated. He said the development gives him reason to believe that the President and his legal advisers are carefully reviewing the bill.
The lawyer said he is preparing to personally present his objections to Marcos and his legal team. His main concern involves the bill’s treatment of the terms and tenure of incumbent barangay officials.
Macalintal argued that the measure could improperly treat the period during which current officials remain in office beyond their original term as part of a new term. He said the distinction could affect officials who are already serving their final allowable consecutive term and their eligibility to run in 2028.
Congress has approved legislation moving the BSKE from November 2, 2026, to November 2028. The measure would also extend the terms of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials from four years to five years.
The proposal has drawn objections from election watchdogs. The Legal Network for Truthful Elections, or LENTE, has also called on Marcos to veto the measure, arguing that another postponement would delay voters’ opportunity to choose their barangay and youth representatives.
At the same time, the Commission on Elections has continued preparations for the scheduled November 2 polls while waiting for the President’s decision. Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the measure had been transmitted to Malacañang and that the commission was waiting to see whether Marcos would sign or veto it.
The situation has created a transitional period for election preparations. As of September 23, Marcos said he had not yet received the proposed legislation, while Comelec preparations were continuing, including the scheduled filing of certificates of candidacy beginning September 28.
The bill’s eventual fate will determine whether the November 2026 BSKE proceeds as scheduled or is moved to 2028. Until Marcos takes formal action, the postponement remains a proposed change rather than an enacted law.
