Election lawyer urges Marcos to veto bill delaying Barangay and Youth elections

Romulo Macalintal, a prominent election lawyer, addressed President Marcos in a formal letter, asking to be heard personally and to exercise his veto power against a bill that would delay the November 2 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. The legislation, recently approved by the House of Representatives in the Senate's form, would lengthen the terms of local and youth councilors to five years, effectively postponing the vote.

Macalintal contends the measure breaches the constitutional right to vote and lacks sufficient justification or operational readiness. He notes that if the goal is to adjust future term lengths, such changes should apply only to officials elected in the 2026 cycle, preserving voters' choice. The lawyer previously helped secure a Supreme Court ruling that declared the 2022 election postponement unconstitutional. Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections warned that unless a law is enacted before September ends, the filing period for candidacies slated for late September to early October will move forward.