Call to Sign Barangay and SK Terms Law
Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez has urged President Marcos to approve the congressional bill that sets the terms and election schedules for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSK) officials. Rodriguez, a long-time advocate for postponing the next BSK elections to May 2029 instead of December 2025, made his appeal following election lawyer Romulo Macalintal’s call to reject the measure.
Rodriguez emphasized the authority of Congress to determine the terms of BSK officials and to adjust their election dates accordingly. “There is no issue or debate that Congress possesses the power to fix their term of office of BSK officials and consequently to reset their election,” he said, disagreeing with Macalintal’s view.
Congress Approves Unified Bill on BSK Terms
The representative explained that both the Senate and House of Representatives passed their versions of the bill, eventually ratifying a consolidated version before adjourning last week. He pointed out that holding the next BSK elections this December, as originally scheduled, would unfairly shorten village officials’ terms to just two years.
“It would be unfair to them because the law gives other local officials a three-year term of office,” Rodriguez stressed. He added that BSK officials deserve the same three-year term, which would be ensured if elections are postponed to November next year, as proposed in the consolidated bill.
Costly Elections and Multiple Polls in One Year
Rodriguez also warned about the financial burden of conducting the BSK elections this December. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) would spend approximately P12 billion, funds that could instead support development projects in the country’s 42,046 barangays.
He further highlighted the strain of holding three elections in a single year: the national and local polls in May, the BARMM elections in October, and the BSK elections in December. “This will result in multiple unnecessary expenses running to billions and billions of pesos,” he said.
Disputing Constitutional Concerns
Addressing Macalintal’s claim that the bill violates the Constitution by covering three topics, Rodriguez insisted that the legislation concerns only one subject: the change of term for BSK officials. “There is only one subject matter of the bill, i.e. the change of term of BSK officials,” he noted.
With the call for President Marcos to sign the bill, local leaders await a resolution that balances fair terms for barangay and SK officials while managing election costs and schedules efficiently.
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