HOUSE LEADER SUPPORTS BSKE RESET TO 2028: MORE TIME FOR BARANGAY OFFICIALS TO SERVE

“Wine-welcome namin ’yung naging desisyon ng ating Pangulo na i-postpone ang barangay election,” Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said at a press briefing.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12326 on Thursday, moving the BSKE from November 2026 to the second Monday of November 2028.

The law also fixes the term of barangay and SK officials at five years, with succeeding elections to be held every five years.

The House adopted the Senate version of the measure on Sept. 16, allowing Congress to send it directly to Malacañang without convening a bicameral conference committee.

Chua said he understood that the cost of conducting another nationwide election was among the considerations behind the postponement.

For incumbent barangay officials, Chua said the extension means additional time to work for their constituents.

“Ito naman ay dagdag taon para sa mga opisyal ng barangay na kasalukuyang nakaupo. So, dagdag taon para sila po ay makapagserbisyo,” Chua said.

The new law supersedes an earlier measure that had moved the BSKE from December 2025 to November 2026 and set four-year terms for barangay and SK officials.

The latest postponement has drawn criticism over the extension of incumbent officials’ tenure without facing voters at the polls.

On concerns that the postponement could infringe on voters’ right of suffrage, Chua said those who believe their rights have been violated can challenge the law through available legal remedies.

“May recourse naman sila kung sa tingin nila ’yung kanilang karapatan ay na-violate,” Chua said.