Solons clash over bill setting 5-year barangay, SK terms

MANILA, Philippines — House lawmakers on Tuesday differed over a bill seeking to set five-year terms for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, which would postpone the upcoming elections for their posts to 2028 in turn.

The exchange was between Act Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio and Asenso Pinoy party-list Rep. Henry Oaminal, one of the proponents of the proposed measure, House Bill No. 10971.

During the interpellation of the bill’s committee report at the House plenary session, Tinio questioned the rationale behind the term extension, pointing out that Republic Act No. 12232, enacted in 2025, already set the term of barangay and SK officials to four years.

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READ: Senate panel OKs BSKE postponement, 5-yr barangay–SK terms

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“Since the said law was passed, several stakeholders including grassroot leaders such as barangay officials and SK officials expressed to us that a four-year term would not be sufficient,” Oaminal answered.

“It is within the plenary powers of Congress to constantly evaluate laws that are previously passed to determine if they are still sufficient to meet the ever-changing needs of our constituencies,” he added.

In response, Tinio said the proponent’s answer was “very telling.”

“Natural, kung sino ang elected official, itinanong mo na OK lang ba i-extend term natin, s’yempre, sasabihin nila yes,” the Act Teachers party-list maintained.

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(It’s only natural that, if you ask elected officials if they want to extend their terms, they’d say yes, of course.)

“Hindi ba mas mahalagang constituency ’yung mga botante mismo? Mayroon bang lumapit sa mga kongresista, sa mga komite?” he added.

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(Aren’t our constituencies, the voters, more important? Has anyone approached our congressmen, our committees?)

Tinio pressed Oaminal on whether the barangay and SK officials’ constituents had been consulted on the matter, to which the latter—speaking for his own constituents—answered in the affirmative.

“A lot of barangay projects, when a barangay leader starts it, and a new barangay leader is elected, more often than not, the barangay project started by the previous leader is abandoned,” the Asenso Pinoy party-list explained.

He further maintained that barangay projects normally took over three years to complete and that over 70 percent of barangays operated with only a P5-million budget annually, although it is not immediately clear where his data was sourced.

Oaminal further cited the 2025 Supreme Court decision, which stated that Congress had the power to set the terms of barangay and SK officials.

Citing concerns on the right to suffrage, however, Tinio suggested that the proposed measure instead allow the upcoming 2026 BSKE to proceed this November but apply the five-year term to barangay and SK officials afterward.

Tinio further cited that some SK officials were supposedly already above the age limit of 24.

After Tinio’s interpellation, the period for sponsorships and interpellations was terminated, and the House plenary suspended consideration of the bill.

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Similar measures postponing the November 2026 BSKE and fixing the term of barangay and SK officials at five years were approved by the Senate panel on local government last week. /cb