REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8524, February 14, 1998

[ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8524, February 14, 1998 ]

AN ACT CHANGING THE TERM OF OFFICE OF BARANGAY OFFICIALS AND MEMBERS OF THE SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN FROM THREE (3) YEARS TO FIVE (5) YEARS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 43 OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED SEVEN THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED SIXTY, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1991, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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

SECTION 1. Section 43 of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 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) years, which shall begin after the regular election of barangay officials on the second Monday of 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."

SEC. 2. The provisions of this Act shall apply to the incumbent barangay officials and members of the sangguniang kabataan.

SEC. 3. All laws, decrees, executive orders, letters of instructions, letters of implementations, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved, February 14, 1998.

(Sgd.) NEPTALI A. GONZALES

(Sgd.) JOSE DE VENECIA JR.

President of the Senate

Speaker of the House of Representatives

This Act which is a consolidation of House Bill No. 9550 and Senate Bill No. 2085 was finally passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on February 2, 1998 and February 5, 1998, respectively.

(Sgd.) HEZEL P. GACUTAN

(Sgd.) ROBERTO P. NAZARENO

Secretary of the Senate

Secretary General House of Representatives

Approved: February 14, 1998.

(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS President of the Philippines