Government bodies were directed by the Supreme Court to comment on three separate petitions seeking to declare Republic Act 12232 unconstitutional, a law that postpones the December 2025 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections to November 2026.

In an en banc session, the High Court consolidated the petitions filed by lawyers Romulo Macalintal and John Barry Tayam, as well as a group led by Mystro Yushi Fujii.

All petitions include prayers for the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to halt the implementation of the law.

RA 12232, which was recently enacted after it was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on 13 August 2025, moves the scheduled elections to the first Monday of November 2026.

Incumbent barangay and SK officials were allowed to stay in office in a hold-over capacity until November 30, 2026.

The respondents in the cases—the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Office of the President, and the Commission on Elections—have been given a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of notice to file their comments on the petitions and the plea for a TRO.

Also, the Court has allowed the Liga ng Barangay ng Pilipinas and 51 punong barangays to intervene in the case filed by Macalintal, where they expressed opposition to the petition. Macalintal and the other respondents were likewise ordered to comment on the intervention petition within 10 days.

The action of the court sets the stage for a legal showdown over the controversial election postponement, which has drawn criticism from those who argue it undermines democratic processes and extends the terms of incumbent officials without a public mandate.