Election lawyer Macalintal vows Supreme Court challenge to barangay vote delay

Romulo Macalintal, a noted election lawyer, said he will file a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court to overturn Republic Act No. 12326, which delays the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections until the second Monday of November 2028 and lengthens officials' terms from four to five years. He described the measure as a grave abuse of discretion that strips millions of Filipinos of their suffrage rights and was strategically passed just before the September 28 deadline for candidate filings.

The Commission on Elections has already cancelled all election-related activities, and Macalintal claims the rapid transmission of the bill to the Office of the President left no window for judicial relief. He also referenced the 2023 Macalintal v. Comelec decision, arguing that routine disaster response does not constitute a constitutional emergency warranting election postponement. Previously, he submitted a supplemental letter-petition seeking a presidential veto, labeling the law unconstitutional and vague. The challenge highlights tensions between legislative actions and constitutional voting rights in the Philippines.