HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
. RECEIVED
Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES pate:_30 JUN 2015
Quezon City, Metro Manila |

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS |
First Regular Session } REGISTRATION U
331 © BILLS AND INDEX {
HOUSE BILLNO. °° eed

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE XAVIER JESUS D. ROMUALDO.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Local Government Code of 1991 provides that, as the basic political unit, the barangay
serves as the primary planning and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs,
projects, and activities in the community. Barangays play extremely crucial roles in the
execution of government programs and the delivery of government services. However,
experience has shown that a term of office of three years is too short for elective barangay
officials to be very effective. A longer term of office is required to enable barangay officials to
properly carry out their mandates and improve the reach and quality of the programs and services
they can offer to their constituents. Moreover, a longer term of office means that barangays will
not be very frequently subjected to the stresses and pressures of politics and electoral
competition, Besides, present law allows for the recall or removal of ineffective or erring
officials. However, an extension in the duration of the terms of office of elective barangay
officials should be coupled with a reduction in their term limits. Hence, under this proposed
measure, the term of office of elective barangay officials and members of the Sangguniang
Kabataan (SK) shall be changed from three years to five years and elective barangay officials
may serve for only two consecutive terms in the same position.

Finally, while Barangay and SK Elections are supposed to be non-partisan, experience has also
shown that the rivalries between candidates and their supporters in such elections can be very
intense and full of enmity. With antagonism from the 2016 National and Local Elections still
lingering, it is best not to hold another divisive electoral activity so soon. The country needs a
respite from heated and bruising electoral contests. It is thus proposed that the coming Barangay
and SK Elections scheduled on the last Monday of October 2016 be moved to the last Monday of
October 2016. With the resetting of the elections, it is also proposed that all incumbent elective
barangay officials shall remain in office, unless sooner removed for cause, permanently
incapacitated, shall have died or resigned from office, until their successors have been elected
and qualified.

In view of all the foregoing, the support of the Members of Congress for the prompt and timely

passage of this measure is earnestly sought

XAVIER JESUS D. ROMUALDO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 331

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE XAVIER JESUS D. ROMUALDO

AN ACT
CHANGING THE TERM OF OFFICE OF ELECTIVE BARANGAY OFFICIALS AND.
MEMBERS OF THE SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN FROM THREE YEARS TO FIVE
YEARS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 43 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7160, AS
AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1991

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 43 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7160, as amended, otherwise known as the

Local Government Code of 1991, is hereby amended to read as follows:

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“SECTION 43. Term of Office. ~ (a) The term of office of all elective officials
elected after the effectivity of this Code shall be three (3) years, starting from noon of
June 30, 1992 or such date as may be provided for by law, except that of elective
barangay officials and members of the sangguniang kabataan: Provided, That all local
officials first elected during the local elections immediately following the ratification

of the 1987 Constitution shall serve until noon of June 30, 1992.

(b) No local elective official shall serve for more than three (3) consecutive terms in
the same position. Voluntary renunciation of the 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 concerned was elected.

(c) The term of barangay officials and members of the sangguniang kabataan shall be
for FIVE (5) [three (3)] years, which shall begin after the SYNCHRONIZED regular

election of barangay AND SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN officials on the LAST


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[second] Monday of OCTOBER 2018 [May 1997: Provided, That the sangguniang
kabataan members who were elected in the May 1996 elections shall serve until the

next regular election of barangay officials)

(D) NO ELECTIVE BARANGAY OFFICIAL SHALL SERVE FOR MORE THAN
TWO (2) CONSECUTIVE TERMS IN THE SAME POSITION; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, THAT THE TERM OF OFFICE SHALL BE RECKONED FROM
THE SYNCHRONIZED BARANGAY AND SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN
ELECTIONS HELD ON THE LAST MONDAY OF OCTOBER 2007.
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 BARANGAY

ELECTIVE OFFICIAL WAS ELECTED.”

SEC. 2. The synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections scheduled on the last
Monday of October 2016 shall be reset to the last Monday of October 2018. Subsequent
synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections shall be held every five (5) years

thereafter,

SEC. 3. All incumbent elective barangay officials shall remain in office, unless sooner removed
for cause, permanently incapacitated, shall have died or resigned from office, until their

successors shall have been elected and qualified.

SEC. 4, RA No. 9164, as amended by RA No, 9340, and RA No. 10744, otherwise known as the
Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015, are hereby amended or modified accordingly. All
other laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, and other issuances or parts thereof that are
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified

accordingly.


SEC. 5. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or

in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,