Youth leaders ask SC to void law postponing 2025 BSKE

The Supreme Court has been asked by a group of youth leaders to strike down the law postponing the 2025 Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, warning the delay would permanently strip them and thousands of young Filipinos of their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote and run for office because of age limits.

In a Petition for Certiorari, Prohibition, and Mandamus filed through the TAM (Trojillo, Ansaldo, Maranon) Law Offices, members of the Kaya Natin! Youth joined the legal challenge initiated by veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal against Republic Act No. 12232.

The law reschedules the 1 December 2025, Barangay and SK elections to November 2026.

Mystro Yushi Fujii, Boyd Luis Antonio Tolentino Jr., Louise Adrian Magat, Roberto Garcia Jr., and Catherine Apple Arenas — the petitioners — are currently eligible to run or vote in the 2025 SK elections. They argued that the postponement would cause them to “age out” of the youth sector, leading to an irreversible loss of their political rights.

The petition emphasized that the displacement “permanently deprives them — and similarly situated youth nationwide — of a right that is incapable of post-hoc vindication.”

It highlighted the unique nature of SK suffrage, which is reserved exclusively for citizens aged 15 to 24 for candidates and 15 to 30 for voters. This, they said, is unlike national elections where the right to vote is exercisable throughout adulthood.

“Once lost due to aging out, the opportunity to vote and/or run in the SK can no longer be restored, effectively resulting in irreparable and direct injury to their right to political participation,” the petitioners argued.

Beyond the age-limit issue, the petitioners contend the postponement law is a veiled attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s own ruling in Macalintal v. Comelec (2023), which bars election postponements unless justified by compelling reasons.

The group also claimed the postponement provision was an unconstitutional “rider” inserted into a bill that was mainly intended to extend the term of barangay and SK officials from three to four years.

Alongside their main petition, the youth leaders asked the Court to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the implementation of RA 12232. They also sought a Writ of Preliminary Mandatory Injunction that would direct the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proceed with preparations for the December 2025 polls while the case remains pending.

They argued such relief would ensure that if the Supreme Court ultimately rules in their favor, the Comelec would still be ready to conduct the elections on or near the original date, avoiding further disenfranchisement of the youth.