Veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal on Tuesday strongly urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to veto the bill seeking to postpone the December 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), calling the measure unconstitutional and vowing to challenge it before the Supreme Court if enacted.

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

“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,” Macalintal said.

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

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

“That’s not a valid reason. That just shows they didn’t study the law,” he 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.”

Macalintal 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.

He also 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,” Macalintal said.

If the bill becomes law, he warned, “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.”