SC tells Comelec, Palace, Congress to comment on petition vs 2025 BSKE postponement

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday directed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and other respondents to comment on the petition seeking to declare the law postponing the 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) unconstitutional.

SC spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting said the SC en banc directed the poll body, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to comment on the petition within 10 days from notice.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said they would comply immediately.

GMA News Online has asked for comment from the other respondents and will publish their response once available.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12232 last week, setting the first Monday of November 2026 as the date of the next regular BSKE and then every four years after that.

According to the new law, all elected barangay and SK officials would serve four-year terms.

In response, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal asked the SC to declare RA 12232 unconstitutional, or at least to the extent that it pertains to the postponement of the elections on December 1, 2025.

Macalintal also urged the high court to direct the respondents not to implement RA 12232 or to observe the status quo before its passage. –VBL, GMA Integrated News