President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is being pressed to sign into law the Congress-approved bill that seeks to reset this year’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to next year and extend the officials’ terms of office from three to four years.

One of the bill’s principal authors, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, made the call to the President on Monday, rebutting a statement by seasoned election lawyer Romulo Macalintal that the ratified measure was rife with “constitutional and legal flaws” and, therefore, must be vetoed.

“I totally disagree with Atty. Macalintal. There is no issue or debate that Congress possesses the power to fix the term of office of BSK officials and consequently to reset their election,” the Mindanao lawmaker said.

Congress — the House and the Senate — ratified the bicameral conference report of the bill an hour before Congress adjourned sine die on Wednesday. This indicates that the measure is now up for the President’s signature.

While the bill could lapse into law without Marcos’ approval, he could also prevent it from becoming law by exercising his veto power, especially if he finds it conflicts with existing laws and regulations.

Under the ratified bill, the BSKE, initially set for 1 December this year, will be moved to the first Monday of November next year.

It sets a four-year term for both the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials, though SK officials can only serve for a single term, while barangay officials can serve up to three consecutive terms.

It will amend Sections 42 and 43 of the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160).

Macalintal argued that the bill merely mimics the provisions of RA 11935 — the law postponing the BSKE from 5 December 2022 to the last Monday of October 2023 — that was already deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

“Although styled as ‘An Act Setting the Terms of Office’ for barangay officials, the bill is clearly misleading,” Macalintal said over the weekend. “Its true effect is to postpone the 1 December 2025 elections to the first Monday of November 2026, allowing the incumbent barangay officials to continue serving in a holdover capacity — effectively extending their tenure without a public mandate.”