Panukalang batas sa term extension barangay officials, tinuligsa

“This bill suffers from the same constitutional and legal flaws as Republic Act No. 11935, which attempted to delay the December 2022 BSKE but was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the landmark 2023 case of Macalintal v. Comelec,” ani Macalintal sa kanyang pahayag nitong Linggo.

Ang panukala, na binuo mula sa pinagsamang bersyon ng House Bill 11287 at Senate Bill 2816, ay nagbibigay ng holdover authority sa mga kasalukuyang opisyal ng barangay—isang probisyong tinuligsa ng abogado.

“Although styled as ‘An Act Setting the Terms of Office’ for barangay officials, the bill is clearly misleading,” aniya. “Its true effect is to postpone the December 1, 2025 elections to the first Monday of November 2026, allowing incumbent barangay officials to continue serving in a holdover capacity—effectively extending their tenure without a public mandate.”

Iginiit ni Macalintal na maaaring tukuyin ng Kongreso ang haba ng termino ng mga opisyal ng barangay, ngunit hindi nito maaaring de facto palawigin ang panunungkulan sa pamamagitan ng pag-antala ng halalan. “Doing so violates the constitutional right of the people to choose their leaders, a right that cannot be bypassed by legislative appointments disguised as holdover extensions.”

Dagdag pa niya, ang Pangulo ay hindi dapat ulitin ang pagkakamaling ginawa sa paglagda ng RA 11935. “The President must avoid repeating the error of endorsing what the Supreme Court has already declared unconstitutional: an act that deprives voters of their right to elect local leaders and instead subjects them to appointed incumbents through legislative fiat.”

Binigyang-diin din ng abogado na may defect sa pamagat ng panukala: “The bill mentioned three different matters — the term extension, postponement of the December 2025 elections, as well as authorization of holdover appointments of incumbents, and extension of their tenure in office.”

Tinawag niya itong “a textbook example of log-rolling legislation.”

“In sum, there is no meaningful difference between this reconciled bill and RA 11935—both lack sufficient government interest or any public emergency that would justify postponing the December 1, 2025 BSKE,” pagtatapos ni Macalintal.