The Three-fold Functions of a Punong Barangay

An elementary pupil was tasked by her teacher of interviewing the chieftain (Punong Barangay) of a barangay (village). Such is a hard tasked for a toddler in primary education, I reckoned.  But the child was adamant to oblige the wishes of her mentor. She asked her parents for help, who in turn, asked for my intervention. So one fine day, I arranged the meeting of the child and the village official. Their conversation went this way (in vernacular):

Q – What is your name, sir?

A – I am Roberto A. Cuare. I am the Punong Barangay of Barangay Morales.

Q – What is the nature of your job, you being the Punong Barangay of Morales?

A – As Punong Barangay, I perform the three-fold functions of the government. First, I am the chief executive of the barangay government. Second, I am the presiding officer of the legislative council, locally known as the Sangguniang Barangay. And third, I sit as the chairman of the Lupong Tapapamayapa, previously known as Barangay Justice, which is tasked of mediating or arbitrating disagreements among the local residents. For that matter, I sit as judge in this quasi-judicial body.

Q – How many households are there in your barangay today?

A – Barangay Morales has a total population of 2,618 or a total household of 573 per the 2007 National Census of Population. Our population growth rate is at 1.3% per annum.

Q – What projects are being implemented today that will benefit the people in our community?

A – There are many projects being undertaken to address the situation in the community. We coded them under the SPECSE paradigm as follows:

a.     S stands for Social Services. Under this area, the Barangay takes active part in implementing the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) or the so called 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) among the poorest families. Also, it assists the DOH in conducting the National Household Targeting System-Poverty Reduction through the organization of Community Health Teams. Through these programs, the poor are made members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. Parent-beneficiaries are required to enroll to schools their school-going age children and are enjoined at availing the health services being offered at the Health Center.  The Barangay also maintains a Health Station and a couple of Daycare Center situated in strategic areas in the locality. It actively coordinates with the DepEd and the Local School Board in the maintenance of the Morales Elementary School. It sets up Tanod outposts and established its own Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management outpost and linked up with the Balete PNP and the Municipal DRRMO.

b.     P stands for Political maturity. People empowerment is made possible to transparency, accountability and good governance. We make it happen through the conduct of regular Barangay Assembly and afford our people with the correct information and progress report concerning the administration of the barangay. In the implementation of programs and projects, we see to it that community involvement and their active cooperation.

c.      E stands for economic development. To compliment the 4Ps and NHTS-PR programs we encourage micro-financing to facilitate loan windows and the inflow of local investment in the community. In Morales, several lending agencies such as Taytay sa Kauswagan, Microsavers, Uswag, etc., open their windows to those who would want to start backyard hog raising, multi-cropping initiatives, etc. Morales is basically a farming community and most of my people derived their living through the fruits of their harvest.

d.     C stands for cultural identity. The people of Morales are proud of their heritage as part of the Baleten-on people. We hold dear to our hearts things or events that identify us from among the rest. We thus give time and the rest of our resources to upholding and preserving our cultural and heritage through our active participation it the annual Kultura Balete celebration.

e.     S stands for Spirituality. Our barangay officials took time to attend to their spiritual needs. Just of the recent, we underwent a Moral Recovery Program initiated by the DILG. Our SK officials too have their seminar on Ethical Standards for Civil and Public Servants. These are non-sectarian activity that seeks to rejuvenate our noble aspirations for our people. Having humane and God-fearing officials will not be to the disadvantage of the community and to the individuals, much to those sectarian groups in the barangay.

f.          E stands for the Environment. We are what we are primarily due to our environment. Without it, nothing can there be. Precisely that the Barangay is stringent on imposing environmental measures. Its proactive project is on its establishing nurseries for tree saplings, the conduct of regular tree planting and cleaning and greening in the community.

Personal Insights

·        Punong Barangays are tasked of fulfilling the three-fold functions of the government, i.e., as executive officer, as legislator and as judge in a particular community.

·        Punong Barangays, despite the burden their carry on their back are salaried very low as compared to executives, legislators and judges in both the government and private sectors.

·        Punong Barangays are the ones who have direct encounter with the people. They see, hear and feel their sufferings and daily struggles and yet they are paid low. They attend to their problems 24/7 a day and yet they don’t have social security insurance.