The Senate approved Wednesday, September 9, on the second reading, Senate Bill No. 2387, or the bill seeking to extend barangay officials' and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) members’ terms to five years.

As a result, the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) slated for November this year has been postponed.

Senators Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Joel Villanueva, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, and Risa Hontiveros voted against the bill.

Villanueva questioned if there have been studies proving that a four-year term is insufficient for barangay and SK officials to carry out their programs and projects.

“What has changed in the past year that makes this four-year term that Congress considered sufficient last year lang po—lahat tayo nagsabi (sufficient) ‘tong 2025—now, 2026, insufficient na po?” he asked.

“Noong tinanong namin, kung may basehan at batayan ba para manghingi ng five-year development plan at kung pag-aaral ba sila kaugnay sa termino na dapat pairalin pagdating sa BSKE, wala pa po silang pinapadala sa’min hanggang ngayon, makalipas ang dalawa o tatlong linggo na mula ng kami’y magdinig,” Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the bill’s sponsor, later conceded.

“Tinanong din namin saan galing ‘yung five years. Hindi po nila masabi sa’min kung saan galing ‘yung five years,” he added.

“While legislative power is plenary within its sphere, it cannot transgress Constitutional boundaries,” Sotto quoted Supreme Court Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, stressing that delaying the barangay elections takes away voters’ rights.

The Senate President pro tempore also noted that incumbent barangay officials have faced “numerous cases,” citing the dismissal of 12 Iloilo barangay officials in connection with alleged AICS (Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations) aid scheming.

In August, Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman George Erwin Garcia warned that postponing the November elections would mean wasting the ₱8 billion already spent on preparations.