Marcos signs law postponing barangay, SK elections to November 2028
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed a law postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, extending the term of incumbent officials from four to five years.
Republic Act No. 12326, or the Act Fixing the Term of Office of Barangay Officials and Members of the Sangguniang Kabataan to Five Years, moves the next BSKE, initially scheduled for Nov. 2, 2026, to the second Monday of November 2028, and then every five years thereafter. Officials elected in 2023 will now keep their positions for two more years.
Palace Press Office Claire Castro announced the approved bill at a press briefing on Friday, Sept. 25 in Batac City, Ilocos Norte.
"Nakita po ng mga mambabatas natin; nakita rin po ng Pangulo kung gaano ba kahalaga sa ngayon ang papel ng mga barangay officials," Castro said, adding the term extension would be good for barangay programs on crime prevention and flood mitigation.
"Kailangan po natin sila ngayon. So kung magkakaroon po ng election, mahihirapan po tayong makapagpatupad ng mga ganitong klase ng programa," Castro continued.
In a statement released on Facebook, Marcos said the term extension was meant to give the officials more time to be of service.
"Ang dagdag na panahon sa panunungkulan ay dagdag na panahon para maglingkod," he wrote.
"Sa paglagda natin sa Republic Act No. 12326, na nagtatakda ng limang taong termino para sa mga opisyal ng barangay at Sangguniang Kabataan, malinaw ang ating inaasahan sa ating mga kasalukuyang opisiyal," the president continued.
He said the concerned officials are expected to use the extra time to improve their service to the people.
"Gamitin ang panahong ito upang mas pagbutihin ang serbisyo, tapusin ang mga nasimulang programa at mas tutukan ang pangangailangan ng bawat komunidad, pamilya, at kabataan," Marcos wrote.
"Hindi ito dagdag na panahon sa puwesto. Dagdag itong panahon ng pananagutan sa taumbayan," he added.
According to RA 12232, "No elective barangay official shall serve for more than two consecutive terms in the same position. No elective Sangguniang Kabataan official shall serve for more than one term in the same position."
This was the second time in just over a year that the president signed a law to extend the term of office of barangay and SK officials.
In August 2025, Marcos signed a similar bill, RA 12232, extending barangay and SK terms of office from three years to four. RA 12232 effectively postponed the barangay and SK elections, which was scheduled for December 2025, to November 2026.
During a media forum in Bengaluru, India in the same month, Marcos explained postponing the elections was the "most sensible and the most common-sense solution" so officials could focus on the parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in October that year.
