Youth leaders from the organization KAYA NATIN! YOUTH have filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the law that postpones the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections to November 2026. They are seeking a temporary restraining order to block the enforcement of this law, which extends the terms of barangay and SK officials from three to four years.

The petitioners, Mystro Yushi Fujii, Boyd Luis Antonio Tolentino Jr., Louise Adrian Magat, Roberto Garcia Jr., and Catherine Apple Arenas, demand that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) be directed to continue preparations for the elections originally scheduled on December 1, 2025. Their legal counsel, Emil Marañon III, stated that postponing the elections would disenfranchise youth voters who currently qualify to participate but would be disqualified by the age limit if the polls were delayed.

"The petition argues that the postponement law violates the constitution as it deprives young voters of their suffrage rights, which cannot be restored once lost," Marañon explained. He emphasized that SK elections are exclusive to the youth, unlike national elections where voting privileges are retained for life. "Once a youth ages out of eligibility, their right to vote and run in SK elections is permanently lost, causing irreparable harm to their political participation rights."

Marañon also criticized the postponement as a circumvention of the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Macalintal vs. Comelec, which prohibited election suspensions without compelling justification. He described the delay as a "rider" provision attached to Republic Act 12232, which principally aims to extend officials' terms.

"Congress could have extended the terms of office without resorting to an unconstitutional postponement of the elections," Marañon asserted.

The youth petitioners also requested that the Supreme Court clarify that the extension of barangay and SK officials’ terms to four years should only apply prospectively, specifically to those elected in the December 2025 elections, thereby preserving the electoral rights of the current eligible youth.

The petition aligns with the stance of election lawyer Romulo Macalintal, who earlier filed a similar challenge against RA 12232. The youth leaders’ move underscores ongoing concerns about maintaining timely democratic processes and protecting the political rights of young voters.