A YOUTH-LED national network of elected and appointed Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials, Local Youth Development Council members, and Katipunan ng Kabataan leaders on Tuesday appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to veto the bill extending the terms of barangay (village) and SK officials to five years and postponing the 2026 Barangay and SK Elections (BSKE), which was scheduled for Nov. 2.
In a statement on Tuesday, Model SK Network said that while Congress has the authority to prescribe terms of office, such that power is subject to constitutional limits, especially the people’s right to vote and the requirement for regular elections.
“Postponing the elections could mean not only a delay in the right to vote but also the loss of an opportunity for some qualified young people to run for office because of the SK age limit,” the group said, adding that the bill could affect not only the right to vote but also the right of qualified young Filipinos to run for SK office.
Model SK Network also said that calling the measure “term-fixing" should not remove it from constitutional scrutiny if its operative effect is to move a scheduled election farther into the future and extend the tenure of incumbent officials.
“This is not simply a matter of how long an official will remain in office. It is a matter of the people’s right to choose and the youth’s right to participate in that choice,” the group said.
Model SK Network called on the president to veto the term extension bill and allow the BSKE to proceed as scheduled on Nov. 2, 2026, and stressed that the “electoral mandate of incumbent officials should not be extended without a fresh mandate from the electorate.”
“Let the people choose. Let the youth participate. Let democracy proceed,” according to the network.
