Lawyer To Oppose Longer Terms For Barangay Officials

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal is ready to oppose a Senate bill seeking to extend the term of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials to five years and reset the elections to November 2028.

In a radio interview, Macalintal said he is even turning to the Supreme Court for help to stop the passage of Senate Bill 2387, which seeks to amend Republic Act 12232 or “An Act Setting the Term of Office of Barangay Officials and Members of the Sangguniang Kabataan, and for Other Purposes.” 

“In fact, I am already preparing in my law office the draft of the petition (with the SC) so that the only last thing needed would be the Republic Act number – once the bill is passed and signed by President Marcos Jr.,” Macalintal said. 

He is still hoping the President would study the bill carefully before making a decision.

“If his advisers are listening, this (bill) is a violation of the Constitution. That is why the President should subject to a thorough study if the bill should be enacted into law or if it should be implemented or not,” he said.

Sen. Francis Escudero filed the bill last Thursday. Escudero said his proposed  measure seeks to enhance the stability and consistency of public service at the barangay level.

He recalled that in 2023, there was also a move to extend the term of barangay officials from three years to four years.

“Now they are changing it to fixing the term of office that is why they want it postponed – to fix the term. First, they said they will set the term, now they will fix the term. What is the difference? That is why with this proposed bill, they are only fooling the people and making it look like we don’t know anything about the law,” Macalintal said.

“They would say they will fix the term to five years from four years, so that the election scheduled on November 2026 will not push through and will just be held in 2028. Even if Congress has the power to fix the term of office, they don’t have the right to postpone election that has already been set,” explained Macalintal. 

He cited a Commission on Elections pronouncement that it has already spent some P8 billion for preparations for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

“Does this mean to the one proposing this bill that we should not give value to the P8 billion already used up for the preparations for the barangay elections and disregard the right of the people to vote and choose our barangay officials?”  

“In this proposed bill, they (barangay officials) are incumbent holdovers and they are appointed by Congress, by our lawmakers,” he pointed out.

“What happens is that their loyalty is not to the people but to the politicians, politicians who want to look good because the 2028 election is coming up. And when national and local elections are drawing near, they target this extension of term of barangay officials so they would project a good image to these village officers in the coming elections,” he added.