Zubiri urges PBBM to sign barangay, SK term extension bill
Published Jul 5, 2025 01:19 pm
BACOLOD CITY – Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri appealed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to sign the bill that seeks to extend the terms of office for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials into a law.
“I don’t know if he will sign it or not. It depends on whether he chooses to approve it, let it lapse into law, or might veto it,” Zubiri said in a recent media interview.
Zubiri said that the Senate’s work has been completed, as the bill has been approved and ratified, before they ended the last day of their session, and it has been sent to the Office of the President.
“Now, it’s in the hands of the President,” he added.
The bill seeks to extend the term of office of all barangay and SK officials from three to four years.
ZUBIRI with Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya. (Bacolod City Communications Office)
Under the reconciled version, barangay officials may serve up to three consecutive terms in the same position, while SK officials will be limited to a single term.
If enacted into law, the measure will also move the elections from Dec. 1, 2025, to the first Monday of November 2026.
He noted that this is necessary because the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will struggle to prepare on time due to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) election in October.
He stressed that the Comelec needs to closely monitor the elections because of the intense conflicts in the area.
After the BARMM elections, Comelec resources will be stretched thin and might not be able to support another one in December, he said. Thus, moving the barangay elections to 2026 just makes sense.
“I personally appeal to the President – if he doesn’t want to sign it, he can let it lapse into law,” Zubiri said.