Romulo B. Macalintal v. Office of the President, et al. — Decision — Official PDF

Decision 4 G.R. No. E-08557 for November 2, 2026, and every four years thereafter. The assumption of office of winning candidates was on the first day of December next following their election, and the hold-over of incumbents until their successors have been elected and qualified. On November 11, 2025, this Court dismissed the petitions challenging Republic Act No. 12232 in Macalintal v. Senate’ (2025 Macalintal). We ruled that “Congress has the authority to determine the term of office of barangay officials, as explicitly stated in Article X, Section 8 of the Constitution.” On September 24, 2026, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed into law Republic Act No. 12326, which took effect immediately after its publication in the. Official Gazette on the next day. It amended several sections of Republic Act No. 12232. In its entirety, Republic Act No. 12326 reads: Section 1. Section 1 of Republic Act No. 12232 or “An Act Setting the Term of Office of Barangay Officials and Members of the Sangguniang Kabataan, and for Other Purposes” is hereby amended to read as follows: \ “Section 1. Term of Office. — The term of | office of all elected barangay and Sangguniang ' Kabataan officials shall be five [] years. No elective barangay official shall serve for more than two [] consecutive terms in the same position. No elective Sangguniang Kabataan official shall serve for more than one [] term in the same position. Voluntary renunciation of office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of service for the full term for which the elective official was elected.” Sec. 2. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 12232 is hereby amended to read as follows: “Sec. 2. Date of Election. — The next regular barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections shall be held on the second Monday of November 2028 and every five [] vears thereafter.” Section 3. A new Section 4-A is hereby inserted after Section 4 of Republic Act No. 12232, to read as follows: “Section 4-A. Filling Up of Vacancies in Sangguniang Kabataan Membership — Any other provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, a vacancy in the membership of the Sangguniang Kabataan shall be filled through the appointment by the city or municipal mayor with jurisdiction over the ° GR. Nos. E-02002, 5-02010, B-02142, £-02276, November 11, 2025 [Per J. J. Lopez, En Banc].