Manila: The nationwide association of barangays (villages) has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to dismiss the petitions challenging the constitutionality of Republic Act (RA) No. 12232 that extends the term of incumbent village officials and reschedules the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to November 2026.

According to Philippines News Agency, the petition for intervention was filed by Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas, led by its national president, Brgy. San Fabian, Echaque, Isabela chief Maria Katrina Jessica Dy. The group, through counsel Albert Agra, urged the court to dismiss for lack of basis the petitions seeking to strike down RA 12232.

The group argued that RA 12232 appropriately extends the term of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials, a power granted to Congress. They contrasted this with RA 11935, which simply postponed the December 2022 BSKE and was struck down by the tribunal for being unconstitutional.

Furthermore, the group asserted that the power and duty to determine the term of office of barangay officials is expressly vested in Congress by the Constitution. They emphasized that questioning this authority without evidence of illegality or abuse is contrary to constitutional provisions.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. previously explained his decision to sign the law, citing the need for the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to focus on the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections scheduled for October 13. The President indicated that holding both the BARMM elections and the Barangay and SK polls in close succession could overextend Comelec's resources, potentially impacting the success of the historic Bangsamoro process.