Barangay councils required to report to constituents on Sunday

Have any complaints about garbage collection or street crime? Or a brilliant solution for traffic in your neighborhood? Attend the semi-annual Barangay Assembly on Sunday. The second Sunday of October of every year is one of two Barangay Assembly days—when barangay chairpersons and their councils are required by law to report to their constituents, and hear them out.   Barangay officials are mandated to present their State of the Barangay Address (SOBA) on each Barangay Assembly Day. The first Barangay Assembly Day of the year is on the last Saturday of March.   Last March, about 11 percent of the country’s 42,026 barangays failed to conduct their assembly day activities.   In a press release, the National Barangay Operations Office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said it hopes for a higher compliance rate this year for barangays.   NBOO Director Virgilio Castro said during the first barangay assembly in March, around 33,373 barangays composing 88.83 percent of the 42,026 barangays nationwide conducted assemblies.   In an effort to ensure more barangays will comply with convening their respective assemblies, the DILG also issued a memorandum reminding expected participation on the event.   The memo was addressed to all provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, Liga ng mga Barangay provincial, city and municipal chapter presidents; punong barangays, DILG regional directors and the ARMM regional governor.   The DILG memo also instructed barangay officials to spearhead activities that will ensure participation in the assembly, such as medical and dental missions, tiangge and cultural presentations.   Castro said Sunday’s assembly is also part of the Local Government Code’s 21st anniversary. The code, enacted on October 10, 1991, was created to empower local governments to be self-reliant and progressive. — Gian Geronimo/ELR/HS, GMA News