PBBM urged to veto bill postponing barangay, SK elections

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was strongly urged by veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal on Tuesday to veto the bill seeking to postpone the December 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), stating the measure is unconstitutional and will be challenged before the Supreme Court if enacted.

Macalintal said his camp is hoping for an audience with Marcos to explain why the bill should not be signed into law.

The lawyer aired his appeal to President Marcos to grant them an audience so they can explain why the postponement of the BSKE must be vetoed.

Aside from this, Macalintal criticized what he described as the President's one-sided consultation process. “The problem with President Marcos is that he only listens to the senators and congressmen. He doesn’t hear the voice of the people who want the elections to push through,” he said.

On the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Macalintal v. Comelec, he argued that any postponement of the BSKE without compelling justification is unconstitutional.

The argument that the elections should be deferred due to the already packed political calendar in 2025, Macalintal also rejected.

“That’s not a valid reason. That just shows they didn’t study the law,” Macalintal said. “They knew there would be barangay elections in December 2025. So why did they postpone the BARMM elections in October 2025 instead? If anything should be postponed, it should be BARMM.”

He pointed out that only 40 positions are up for grabs in the Bangsamoro elections and that the 32 parliamentary districts in the region have yet to be formed, casting doubt on whether the BARMM polls can even proceed as scheduled.

“There’s already a pending case before the Supreme Court questioning whether the BARMM elections should proceed given the incomplete districts. That’s the one they should have postponed, not the BSKE,” he said.

Macalintal further alleged that lawmakers were motivated by political self-interest, aiming to win the support of incumbent village officials by extending their terms.

“They want to fulfill their promise during the 2025 elections to postpone the BSKE and curry favor with incumbent officials,” he said.

In the event the bill becomes a law, Macalintal warned they will again elevate the issue to the Supreme Court. “We will challenge it and assert that this violates the Court’s earlier ruling. It’s as if they’re disregarding the Constitution and the people’s right to vote.”

He also took issue with Senator Imee Marcos’ remarks that the BSKE postponement is merely “incidental.”

“Incidental? Our sacred right to vote is just incidental? I won’t accept that. Voting is not some random event. It is a right guaranteed to every citizen,” Macalintal said.

Macalintal explained the measure is misleading and deceptive, as if they’re fooling the public since the bill is very misleading and is deceptive.