President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12326 on Sept. 25, 2026, postponing the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections to November 13, 2028, and extending current officials' terms to five years.
ABC Cebu Chapter president Celestino Martinez III welcomed the law and urged officials to use the extra time to improve governance, while the PPCRV criticized the delay for stripping voters of their right to choose local leaders.
The law restricts elective barangay officials to two consecutive terms and SK officials to one term, noting that the two-year extension counts as completion of a full term for incumbents serving their final period.
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure postponing the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to November 2028 and setting the term of barangay and SK officials at five years.
The postponement drew opposition from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), which said delaying the elections deprives voters of the chance to choose whether to replace or retain their local leaders.
In Cebu, Ex-officio Provincial Board Member Celestino “Tining” Martinez III, president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) Cebu Chapter, welcomed the law but said the additional time in office should be used to strengthen services in the communities.
The BSKE in 2028 will happen six months after the general elections, during which voters will elect the president, vice president, senators, representatives, governors, vice governors, mayors, vice mayors, and members of the city, municipal and provincial legislative councils.
“Additional time to serve”
Marcos announced the signing of Republic Act (RA) 12326 in a Facebook post Friday, Sept. 25. The law gives incumbent officials elected on Oct. 30, 2023 an additional two years in office.
Marcos said the longer period should be used to improve public service, complete ongoing programs and focus more closely on the needs of communities, families and young people.
“The additional time in office is an additional time to serve. Our expectations of our current officials are clear. Use this period to improve services, complete programs that have already been started and pay closer attention to the needs of every community, family and young people,” he said in Tagalog.
“This is not additional time in office. It is additional time for accountability to the people,” he added.
Under RA 12326, the next regular BSKE will be held on the second Monday of November 2028, or Nov. 13. Elections will be held every five years after that.
The postponement extends the terms of incumbent barangay and SK officials elected in October 2023 by two years. They will remain in office until their successors are elected and qualified.
The change applies to barangay officials who run local government at the community level and SK officials who represent young people in barangays.
New limits on terms
The law also sets limits on consecutive terms in the same position.
Elective barangay officials may serve no more than two consecutive terms in the same position, while SK officials may serve no more than one term in the same position.
For incumbent barangay officials, the two-year extension has an effect on those already serving their final term. The law considers their extended service as completion of one full term, which means they cannot seek the same position in the 2028 elections.
“Not a mere extension”
Martinez, meanwhile, said the ABC Cebu Chapter welcomed the passage of RA 12326.
The official further said the additional two years should not be seen merely as an extension of the barangay officials’ terms but as a period of greater responsibility and accountability to the communities they serve.
“The additional time entrusted to us is an opportunity to demonstrate that we are worthy of the confidence placed in our leadership—through governance that is sincere, competent, responsive, accountable, and firmly grounded in public service,” Martinez said.
“We in Liga therefore encourage all barangay officials to make every day count: to improve the quality of governance in our communities, strengthen the institutions and systems that serve our people, and pursue reforms that will endure even long after our terms have ended,” he added.
Concerns over voting rights
For its part, the PPCRV said postponing the BSKE affects voters’ ability to choose their local leaders.
In a radio interview Friday, PPCRV spokesperson Ana de Villa-Singson said voters should be able to decide whether incumbent officials deserve another term or should be replaced.
“In a democratic process, you strip away the people’s right to vote when you postpone the elections,” Singson said.
“You are taking away their right to vote and choose new leaders, or the option to replace incumbents or retain those who are performing well,” she added.
Singson said barangay elections are important because barangay officials are the government officials closest to residents.
“That is the first step towards establishing a very direct relationship with the public, if you are a public servant,” she said.
She also raised concerns over the effect of repeated postponements on the SK. Potential candidates could become too old to qualify by the time elections are held.
“Because it (BSKE) keeps getting postponed, they are already overaged. They’re already married, they have children… they aren’t youth anymore,” Singson said.
Looking ahead
The new law changes more than the date of the next barangay elections. The two-year extension gives incumbent officials additional time to deliver programs and reforms, while postponing the voters’ power to decide whether they deserve to stay in office.
That makes the period until November 2028 both an opportunity for incumbents to prove their performance and a longer wait for voters who want a change in leadership. / TPM, CDF