THE Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the constitutionality of a law extending the term of office for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials to four years, dismissing multiple challenges that argued the measure improperly postponed elections.

In an 8-5-2 decision yesterday, November 11, the High Tribunal denied four consolidated petitions, including those filed by election lawyer Romulo B. Macalintal and others, effectively affirming Republic Act No. 12232.

The ruling resets the next local elections from December 1, 2025, to the first Monday of November 2026, with succeeding polls to follow every four years after.

The petitioners argued that RA 12232 was invalid because it failed to follow guidelines for election postponement set by the SC in the 2023 case Macalintal v. Comelec. They also claimed the law violated the public’s right to vote and unduly favored incumbent officials.

However, the Court, through the ponencia of Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, clarified that the new law is fundamentally a "term-setting law" and not an election postponement measure.

"The rescheduling of the elections is merely incidental," the Court ruling reads.

As such, the specific guidelines Congress must follow when postponing elections do not apply to RA 12232.

The decision centered on the Constitutional power of Congress to define the term lengths for the smallest political unit. The Court ruled that barangay officials are not bound by the general three-year term limit imposed on other elective local officials.

"Article X, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to set the term duration of barangay officials. These officials are not bound by the general three-year term limit that applies to other elective local officials," the SC held.

The ruling emphasized that Congress’s legislative power to define the term “necessarily includes the power to decide when the new term begins,” provided the period is reasonable.

The SC further determined the law does not violate the public's right to vote because it neither abolishes nor indefinitely suspends the elections; it simply changes the interval from three to four years, ensuring elections remain “regular, periodic, and certain.”

The Court also rejected claims of undue favor or discrimination, noting that the Constitution allows for barangays to be treated differently from other local government units due to their distinct functions, smaller communities, and role as the most direct link between the government and the people.

Incumbent officials will remain in office until their successors are elected and qualified in November 2026.

Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, along with Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, Antonio T. Kho, Jr., and Maria Filomena D. Singh, registered dissenting opinions.

Associate Justices Ramon Paul L. Hernando and Amy C. Lazaro-Javier took no part in the decision.