The Senate has approved on third and final reading a bill that would extend the term of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials from four to five years.
Senate Bill No. 2387 was approved Monday with 13 senators voting in favor, five against and none abstaining.
Senators Vicente Sotto III, Bam Aquino, Joel Villanueva, Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros voted against the measure.
Sotto said he would file a “turno en contra,” or a formal statement explaining his opposition to the bill.
The measure seeks to amend Republic Act No. 12232 by setting the term of elected barangay and SK officials at five years.
Under the proposed law, an elected barangay official would be limited to three consecutive terms in the same position, while an elected SK official could serve only one term in the same position.
The bill also proposes moving the next regular Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) from the first Monday of November 2028 to the second Monday of the same month.
Subsequent BSKEs would then be held every five years.
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, the bill’s principal author and sponsor, said the longer term would give local officials more time to plan, implement and assess programs before facing another election.
“Barangays are planners, implementers, first responders, peacekeepers, and frontline service providers — all at a level where government interacts directly with households and families,” Escudero said.
“With a five-year term, our officials will have more time to implement programs and projects that will truly benefit their communities,” he added.
The measure will need to go through the remaining legislative process before it can take effect.
