NAMFREL opposes BSKE postponement

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The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) on Saturday expressed dismay over the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) and said that it will support and join efforts to question its constitutionality.

This comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the postponement into a law on Friday.

"The law was made public only on September 25, mere days before the scheduled filing of certificates of candidacy on September 28. NAMFREL had, on two separate occasions this year — April 17 and August 5, 2026 — publicly and unequivocally called on Congress and the Executive to reject exactly this outcome," NAMFREL said in a statement.

"That these repeated warnings went unheeded is deeply troubling. That the law was rushed to enactment just ahead of the filing period is more troubling still," it added.

EXPLAINER: What to know about the new law moving the BSKE to 2028?

Marcos said Friday that the postponement will allow officials to use the postponement "to further improve service delivery, complete programs that have already been initiated, and focus more intently on the needs of every community, family, and the youth."

NAMFREL, however, said that it "respectfully but firmly rejects this reasoning."

"A government genuinely intent on addressing the crises it cites — fiscal pressure, the need for efficient and accountable frontline service delivery — should be seeking a renewed and fresh mandate for barangay leadership, not extending the tenure of officials without a single vote cast in their favor," NAMFREL said.

"NAMFREL's position on this point has not changed: economic hardship is, if anything, all the more reason to ensure accountable, freshly-mandated leadership at the level of government closest to the people — not less," it added.

Supreme Court

The election watchdog also emphasized that the postponement resulted in "wasted funds" amid its preparations for the polls, which has now been moved to 2028.

"Barangay and SK elections are already the most frequently postponed democratic exercises in the country's history. Each additional deferral normalizes the practice of legislating around the electorate rather than submitting to it, and makes the next postponement easier to justify," NAMFREL said.

"NAMFREL will support and join the effort of individuals and groups moving to question the constitutionality of RA 12326. Election watchdog groups have expressed its intent to bring the matter before the Supreme Court, and election lawyers have likewise announced the filing of a Petition for Certiorari, arguing that the law “strikes at the heart of our democracy and reflects a grave abuse of discretion.”

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has said that it is expecting the filing of petitions before the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the the postponement of the BSKE.

“Ang problem po talaga namin ay paano nga kung may pumunta sa Korte Suprema at magkaroon ng tinatawag na injunctive restraining order,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia told Super Radyo dzBB in an interview.

(Our problem is what if someone goes to the Supreme Court and gets an injunctive restraining order.)

In a separate interview on Super Radyo dzBB, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said he will file a petition questioning the postponement of the BSKE on Monday.

Macalintal said his camp is preparing the petition that will be filed with the SC, arguing that the postponement would result in an unreasonable extension of the terms of incumbent barangay and SK officials.

“Kapag natuloy ito, tatlong taon na postponement. Tatlong taon na extended ang term nila,” he said.

(If the postponement happens, it will be a three-year postponement. Their term will be extended by three years.) —VAL, GMA News