Pimentel fears possible veto of BSKE bill, says Marcos favors December polls
WHERE’S MY PRECINCT? Voters search for their designated polling precincts from a list posted on a billboard at Commonwealth Elementary School in Quezon City on Monday as Filipinos choose their leaders during the midterm elections. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Tuesday raised the possibility that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. might veto the measure that seeks to postpone this year’s barangay and SK elections (BSKE).
Pimentel recalled hearing Marcos’ desire to have the BSKE push through this December.
“I attended the last LEDAC (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) meeting. I was there, and as far as I know, the president wants it to proceed,” he said during the regular Kapihan sa Senado.
“So whose will will prevail? Who has the last touch to the making of a law? You need a new law to postpone or reset the December 2025 elections?” the opposition lawmaker asked.
Before adjourning sine die on June 11, Congress ratified the bill that would not only postpone the BSKEs from December this year to the second Monday of November 2026, but also extend the terms of barangay and SK officials from the current three years to four years.
SK officials would have a single four-year term while barangay officials can be elected for three consecutive four-year terms as proposed under the approved measure.
The bill has yet to be signed by the president before it becomes a law.
But it is also up to Marcos if he would veto it, Pimentel pointed out, responding to election lawyer Romulo Macalintal’s call.
Macalintal earlier urged Marcos to veto the bill, saying it “suffers from the same constitutional and legal flaws as Republic Act No. 11935, which attempted to delay the December 2022 BSKE.
The measure was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the landmark 2023 case of Macalintal v. Comelec.
“Although styled as ‘An Act Setting the Terms of Office’ for barangay officials, the bill is clearly misleading,” Macalintal said over the weekend.
“Its true effect is to postpone the December 1, 2025 elections to the first Monday of November 2026, allowing incumbent barangay officials to continue serving in a holdover capacity—effectively extending their tenure without a public mandate,” he explained.
Pimentel, however, believes the approval of the bill was justifiable.
“Number one, we didn’t consciously pass an unconstitutional law. As far as we were concerned, it was constitutional. Of course, we could still be proven wrong if it reaches the Supreme Court,” he said.
“And besides, we don’t pass laws hoping the president will veto them. What’s the point of passing a law if you’re just wishing it gets vetoed? So let’s leave the decision to the president,” the senator concluded. /apl
NOTE: The English translations in the article were AI-generated.
