Marcos signs law postponing local elections to Nov 2026

August 14 ------ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law a measure postponing this year’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to November 2026, effectively extending the terms of incumbent officials.

Republic Act (RA) 12232, signed by the President consolidated Senate Bill 2816 and House Bill 11287, which were approved by both chambers of Congress on June 11. Originally set on Dec. 1, 2025, the barangay and SK polls shall be held on the first Monday of November 2026 and every four years thereafter.

RA 12232 also sets the term of office of barangay officials and members of the Sangguniang Kabataan from the current three years to four years. “No elective barangay official shall serve for more than three consecutive terms in the same position. No elective Sangguniang Kabataan official shall serve for more than one term in the same position,” the new law read. “Voluntary renunciation of office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of service for the full term for which the elective official was elected,” it added.

Under the new law, the term of office of barangay officials and members of the Sangguniang Kabataan elected after the law’s effectivity shall begin on the first day of December following their election. “All incumbent barangay officials and members of the Sangguniang Kabataan shall remain in office unless sooner removed or suspended for cause until their successors shall have been elected and qualified,” it stated.

Incumbent elective barangay officials serving their third consecutive term in the same position shall not be eligible to run for the same position in the November 2026 BSKE. The Commission on Elections will issue the implementing rules and regulations of the act within 90 days from the law’s effectivity. “If any portion or provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect,” the new law stated. “All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, administrative orders, and rules and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly,” it added.

RA 12232, which was released to the media on Wednesday, shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Source: manilatimes.net