Macalintal asks High Court to hear oral arguments on BSKE delay law

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal has asked the Supreme Court to schedule oral arguments on his petition seeking to strike down the law that postponed the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

In an urgent motion filed electronically on October 25, Macalintal maintained that the law was meant only to push back the BSKE originally set for November 2026. He said it was never intended as a true measure to fix officials’ terms.

Calling the issue “the great debate” over whether the public’s voice will be heard and respected, he asked the court to hear arguments at the earliest possible date.

He also requested a status quo ante order and a temporary restraining order to halt the law’s enforcement while the case is pending oral arguments.

Macalintal described the measure as a “transparent semantic maneuver” that clearly violates citizens’ right to vote.

Background

He had earlier pointed out that barangay officials elected in October 2023 were supposed to leave office in December 2025.

The law, Republic Act No. 12326, is formally titled the Act Fixing the Term of Office of Barangay Officials and Members of the Sangguniang Kabataan to Five Years. It cancelled the BSKE that had been scheduled for November 2 and extended the terms of incumbent officials to five years.

Under the law, the next BSKE will be held on the second Monday of November 2028, and every five years after that.