The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision affirming the constitutionality of the four-year term for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials.

COMELEC Chairman George Garcia said the ruling allows the commission to focus on planning, preparation, and setting the timeline for the upcoming Barangay-SK Elections (BSKE) scheduled for November 2026.

“This, hopefully, would finally put an end to endless speculations concerning the BSKE. Now that the Supreme Court has spoken, COMELEC can now focus on our timelines and our preparations,” Garcia said.

Under Republic Act No. 12232, the next SK elections are scheduled for the first Monday of November 2026, with subsequent elections to follow every four years.

On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, the Supreme Court en banc issued its decision on separate but consolidated petitions questioning the constitutionality of RA 12232, the law establishing a four-year term for Barangay and SK officials.

The petitions were filed by Atty. Romulo Macalintal, John Barry Tayam, Mystro Yushi Fujii, and Atty. Alberto Hidalgo against Congress, Malacañang, and COMELEC. In a ponencia by Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, the Court dismissed the petitions.

The Supreme Court ruled that RA 12232 complies with the Constitution for several reasons:

Congressional Authority, Congress has the power to set the terms of Barangay officials under Article X, Section 8 of the Constitution.

"Hindi nakatali ang mga opisyal ng Barangay sa 3 taong termino na nag-aapply sa ibang mga halal na lokal na opisyal. Kabilang rin sa kapangyarihang ito ang pagpasya kung kailan magsisimula ang termino ng mga opsiyal ng Barangay," Comelec said.

Comelec said that the RA 12232 is a "term-setting law" and not a law postponing elections.

"Hindi ito isang batas na nagpapaliban ng halalan at nagkataon lamang ang pagbabago ng Araw ng Halalan para sa Barangay at Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) kaya hindi maaaring i-apply ang Macalintal guidelines o ang mga parameter na kailangang sundin ng Kongreso sa pagbabaliban ng halalan," it added.

Moreover, the commission noted that there's no voting rights preserved. The law does not violate citizens’ right to vote. It added that BSKE was neither canceled nor indefinitely suspended; only the interval between elections changed from three years to four years. The elections remain “regular, periodic, and certain."

Comelec pointed out that RA 12232 is not discriminatory.

"Hindi maituturing na diskriminasyon ang pagbibigay ng isang batas ng pabor na pagtrato sa mga opisyal ng Barangay kung ito mismo ay pinahihintulutan ng Saligang Batas," it added.

Meanwhile, the SC earlier emphasized that RA 12232 is notdiscriminatory

“Finally, the Supreme Court held that RA 12232 is not discriminatory. A law treating Barangay officials differently does not amount to undue favor or discrimination when such treatment is expressly allowed by the Constitution,” the Court’s ruling read.

The next Barangay and SK elections will be held on November 2, 2026, and every four years thereafter.