After years of delays, Filipinos were finally able to vote for their barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials last October 2023.
Now, if several congressmen have their way, this cherished right to suffrage may be delayed once again.
Camarines Sur Representative LRay Villafuerte has introduced House Bill 10344 in the House of Representatives, suggesting a delay in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), scheduled on December 1, to October 26, 2026.
The bill advocates for BSKE polls to be conducted every three years thereafter, aligning with Constitutional and Local Government Code stipulations regarding the fixed three-year term for these local officials.
This proposal comes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling deeming the law that previously postponed the BSKE from December 5, 2022, to October 2023 as unconstitutional.
The SC mandated that subsequent BSKEs should occur on the first Monday of December 2025 and then every three years.
Representative Villafuerte argued that holding the BSKE in December 2025 would curtail the term of barangay officials, infringing upon their mandated three-year tenure and impeding the electorate's right to suffrage.
Joining Villafuerte in sponsoring the bill were Camarines Sur Fifth District Representative Miguel Luis Villafuerte and Bicol Saro party-list Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan.
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