Why Filipinos run for barangay posts

Candidates for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) began on October 19 their 10-day campaign to woo voters, making lofty promises to serve their community and uplift the lives of their constituents.

With their campaign jingles blaring from portable loudspeakers, aspirants hand out leaflets and hang posters bearing slogans aiming to hook even the reluctant constituents.

“Always here to listen, always here to serve. A captain for every season, a leader for every reason. Empowering citizens, inspiring progress.”  This was how some couched their campaign.

Then there are also some who try to be humorous: “Walang silbi sa bahay, pero maglilingkod sa barangay.”  (Useless at home, but useful in the barangay)

Beyond the battle of slogans, the fight for the barangay’s top post could be heated in a number of areas. Over a hundred poll-related incidents have been recorded by the police so far, and at least 361 areas have been considered election hotspots.

What’s in it for the barangay chairperson post that makes the candidates go all out to win?

Crucial vote

After a series of postponements since 2018, Filipinos now await the 2023 BSKE on October 30, 2023.

This is a crucial time for the voters to either extend the terms of their community leaders or replace them with fresh faces considering their experiences with their barangay officials during their five-year term in office, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country.

The upcoming polls hold promise for the Filipinos who can now exercise their right to vote anew, and at the same time, a warning that whatever its outcome would dictate the future of their communities in the next two years.

Barangays, the smallest administrative units in the country, are crucial in delivering basic services and implementing local policies. Among the responsibilities of a barangay chairman is embracing the principles of public service and striving to make a positive difference in the lives of the people they serve.

Like a doctor, the barangay chairman is on call 24/7 to respond to the community's needs and concerns, engaging with residents, listening to their grievances, and taking appropriate actions to address them.

For Professor Maria Ela Atienza of the University of the Philippines Department of Political Science, running for barangay chairmanship may not be even worth it, considering the minuscule amount that they get for such a huge responsibility that they bear on their shoulders.

“Parang abonado ka pa kung seryoso ka na makatulong talaga, seseryosohin mo yung trabaho ng barangay chairman. Hindi worth it kung ang pagbabatayan natin ay salary, na hindi nga salary ang tawag, honorarium. There are some perks, there are insurance, kung may anak na nasa public school, libre, pero ‘yun mas malabas ang gastos sa community, kung pera lang ang pag-uusapan, regular honorarium kulang ‘yon talaga,” Atienza said.

(The barangay chairman could end up shelling out his own money, if he will take his job seriously.  The salary is not worth it.  It’s not even salary, but honorarium.  There are some perks like the insurance and free education of the children in a public school.  But overall, what one’s getting is not sufficient.)

Pay, perks

Under the Local Government Code of 1991, barangay chairpersons do not receive a salary for keeping his or her community in order. They are only entitled to an honorarium of not less than P1,000 monthly.

This, however, was adjusted in 1996 when Executive Order No. 332 was issued. Barangay chairpersons are now entitled to a P21,998 to P33,843 monthly honoraria depending on the income classification of the city or municipality where the barangays are located.

Aside from the monthly honoraria, barangay chairpersons are also entitled to a P1,000 Christmas bonus, insurance coverage, free medical care in public hospitals, free tuition and matriculation fees for legitimate dependent children enrolled in state colleges and universities, among others.

But why is the barangay chairmanship such a coveted post in the country?

Atienza mentioned “some other perks involved” in sitting as the barangay’s top official.

“If the barangay has a big IRA, then there’s a chance officials will get high honoraria. …There are many taxes that can be imposed by the barangay,” she said.

She added there could be other factors as well that lure the candidates to the position.

“In a sense, ibang bagay siguro. Bakit may nababalita tayo na masyadong personalan, at masyadong sineseryoso yung competition na dumadating tayo sa punto ng assassination, intimidation, may vote buying pa,” she said.

(There may be other factors, that's why we hear reports of tough competition that sometimes result in assassination, intimidation ad vote buying.)

“Kung magvovote buying ka sa barangay parang ubos na yung magiging budget at pera. So there must be some other perks involved. May mga lugar na binibigyan ng pera dahil may mga small businesses na pwedeng humingi sa barangay level. Smaller enterprises na kailangan ng permit ng barangay, pwede ring siguro na ang permit galing sa city, town o provincial level pero kailangan ng cooperation ng barangay, mga perks na binibigay ang business o corporations sa mga barangay. But this is outside the responsibilities or expected work of the barangay official kasi kung titingnan natin, maraming expectations sa mga barangay,” she added.

(One's campaign funds can easily get depleted with vote buying.  So there must be some other perks involved. ....some from businesses or corporations.)

According to the Department of the Interior and Local Government - National Barangay Operations Office (DILG-NBOO) Assistant Director Izza Mari Laurio, the National Tax Allocation (NTA) depends on the population, land area, and equal sharing of a barangay.

The larger the population that the barangay holds, the more tax is collected, which could provide a higher honoraria to its chairman.

“Ang nakalagay lang naman sa batas ay amount not less than, so ‘yun ‘yung parang threshold. So pwedeng tumaas, pwedeng hanggang P1,000 lang talaga, Pero base nga 'to sa income na nagegenerate, or the IRA or what we call the NTA na under the law. Binibigyan ng DILG ng capacity building ang ating mga barangay officials. The purpose and the objective is tinuturuan natin ang mga barangay na makapag-generate ng income sa barangay ayon sa kanilang taxing power,” Laurio said.

(The law states the amount a chairman can get should not be less than P1,000, so that’s like the threshold. The amount can go higher, or could be just P1,000.  But this is based on the income that the barangay can generate, or the IRA or what we call the NTA. The purpose is to make the barangays generate income using their taxing power.)

In the Commission on Audit’s (COA) 2022 Annual Financial Report on local government units, Quezon City emerged as the richest city in the country with P443 billion in assets.

Being assets rich and vote rich, barangay chairmanships in Quezon City will always be a contested post.

“It has a high income, high population, high number of registered voters, so the interest or appetite to seek barangay posts is also high,” Legal Network For Truthful Elections (LENTE) Program Director Brizza Margareth Rosales said.

Barangay Commonwealth, for example, is being contested by three candidates running for the chairmanship. 

It has one of the highest voters population in the second legislative district of Quezon City, with 83,197 registered voters.

It also has the highest budget allocation in 2023 with P191.029 million among the five barangays in the district.

Meanwhile, Barangay Bagong Silangan, which is among the 2,518 barangays in the Philippines that are under areas of concern, has the lowest budget allocation for 2023 among the five barangays with P96.561 million.

As of September 2023, there are 36,986 registered voters in Bagong Silangan. Its current population is 147,000.  Five candidates are gunning for barangay chairman.

Power, privilege

As a political unit, the barangay is the “most enduring legacy” of the Filipinos’ pre-Hispanic past, according to veteran lawmaker Edcel Lagman of Albay.

Through the years, the head of the barangay has been called various names until the institutionalization of “punong barangay” in the Local Government Code of the Philippines.

“The staying power of this political institution is proof of its indispensability. The barangay is key to the effective and speedy delivery of frontline services,” Lagman said.

The barangay is the community’s 911 for medical emergencies, implementers of government feeding programs, keepers of peace and order. In a number of cases, it has entwined itself in the domestic life of its constituents, intervening in arguments between spouses and settling disputes among neighbors.

Lagman said the barangay is also the “principal link” of the people to the municipal, provincial and national government and vice versa.

Operating at the grassroots level, the inputs of barangay officials regarding the needs of their constituents could serve as “the most accurate barometer of the real pulse of the people.”

Lagman said the barangay chairman in fact performs the duties of all three branches of government.

“It is ironic that although a barangay official is perceived to be the lowest ranking government official, he is the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary rolled into one,” he said.

Atienza echoed that a barangay chairperson is akin to a “little mayor, governor or president.”

The legislative functions rest on the kagawad.  The tanod are in charge of peace and order, and the Katarungang Pambarangay takes care of the judiciary functions.

“In a sense, at the barangay level, there should be checks and balances,” she said.

For DILG’s Laurio, the barangay chairperson post is synonymous to power, even if it involves only small political unit.

“May power ka, ikaw ang local chief executive, although hindi man ganun kalaki ang honoraria, as punong barangay may aspect of governance pa rin and nakakapag-implement ka ng projects and programs na makakatulong sa barangay,” Laurio said.

(The barangay chairman has the power as the local chief executive.  The honoraria may not be that big, but there are aspects of governance involved that allows a chairman to implement project and programs that could help the barangay.)

Vigilance

Atienza recalls anecdotal cases of some people asking why their chairman is suddenly getting a major home renovation or a brand new car.

“If you see it, then probe it,” she said. 

Officials should not also be afraid to be asked if the sources of their wealth are clean.

The UP professor said wrongful deeds in government happen because some people simply choose to turn a blind eye.

“We should always think that we are all affected by how our barangay officials spend the people’s money,” she said.

Atienza said lawmakers should also consider giving the barangay officials salaries instead of just honorarium to professionalize their work.

LENTE’s Rosales said the upcoming elections would be an opportune time to “exact accountability” on the barangay officials who have been in their post for five years.

“Did the people see and feel you during those five years? I think the answer to this question is essential,” she said. —LDF, GMA Integrated News