MANILA, Philippines — Extending the terms of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials to five years could save the government about P30 billion in election costs while giving Congress time to review the youth council system, Deputy Speaker Janette Garin said Saturday.
Garin said the House had adopted Senate Bill No. 2387, which sets a five-year term for barangay and SK officials and moves the next elections to November 2028.
The House adopted the Senate-approved measure on Sept. 16 after senators passed it on third and final reading, 13-5.
“This step could save the government approximately P30 billion in direct costs, which could instead be used to address problems caused by disasters,” Garin said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
The measure also imposes a two-term limit on barangay officials moving forward, with each term lasting five years.
Garin said officials already serving a second or third term would be on their final term under the new rule.
Public opinion on the extension remains divided, she said, particularly among constituents dissatisfied with their barangay officials. But she said Congress must also weigh the cost of holding another nationwide barangay and SK election against other government priorities, including disaster response.
The longer period before the next elections could also give lawmakers time to examine complaints involving the SK system, Garin said.
“This is not included in the proposed law, but we strongly feel and hear the complaints and problems involving the Sangguniang Kabataan,” she said.
Garin said the complaints did not involve all SK officials but included allegations of misuse of the youth councils’ financial autonomy, such as purportedly forged signatures of SK treasurers and checks whose proceeds were allegedly not properly accounted for.
She did not identify any specific officials or cases.
Some lawmakers are considering amendments to the SK system, while others are studying its possible abolition, Garin said. Neither proposal is included in the five-year-term measure.
“The extension from four to five years will also provide breathing space for those who intend to pursue and are calling for possible amendments to the SK system, or even its total abolition, to review it,” she said.
One option under consideration is to retain youth representation in barangay governments without keeping the SK in its current form.
“We can have a youth representative among the barangay councilors,” Garin said.
