The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the validity of Republic Act 12326 which postponed the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to November 2028 and extended the terms of barangay and SK officials to five years.
In a 33-page decision written by now Chief Justice Rodil Zalameda and released on Friday, Nov. 6, the SC dismissed the petition filed by lawyer Romulo Macalintal and upheld the constitutionality of RA 12326.
The court said it “finds no sufficient basis” to invalidate RA 12326, explaining that while the court “must remain vigilant against any legislative measure that would use term-setting as a pretext for indefinitely depriving the electorate of regular elections,” it “does not permit the Court to disregard a controlling precedent or to substitute its preferred electoral calendar for the one enacted by Congress.”
The high tribunal said, “fundamentally, the length of term of Barangays officials is a matter that the Constitution has entrusted to Congress.”PNA
