PBBM likely to sign bill extending terms of brgy officials

By Ernie Delgado

LEGAZPI CITY --- Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to sign the proposed law that aims to extend the terms of elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSK) officials.

“I think it’s almost final. Malapit nang pirmahan ng Presidente (The President is close to signing it),” he told reporters in Legazpi City, providing an update on the measure that passed both chambers of Congress in June and now needs the President’s signature to become law.

The bill amends RA 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, particularly the terms and the date for the next barangay and SK elections (BSKE).

Remulla said that should the President sign it into law, the next BSKE will be held on the first Monday of November next year instead of December 1 this year.

It will also allow barangay chairpersons and councilors to serve two consecutive four-year terms, while Sangguniang Kabataan officials would be limited to a single four-year term.

The adjustment seeks to synchronize the lengths of terms, especially considering that current officials have only been in office for two years due to prior election delays.

The most recent BSKE took place in October 2023 after several deferrals.

Remulla said that if the BSKE proceeds in December, it would reduce the current officials’ term to merely two years instead of the required three years.

He also rejected worries that the changes to the terms breach a 2023 Supreme Court decision, which invalidated a law that reduced elected officials’ terms, explaining that they were merely “equalizing the term lengths.”

However, he mentioned that those who oppose the measure may challenge it in the Supreme Court. (PIA Bicol)