How a poor fishing barangay in Sorsogon City became rich

Four years ago, barangay officials of Barangay Buhatan in Sorsogon City had nothing but dreams to build on, writes  Inquirer columnist and former Socio-Economic Planning Secretary   Cielito F. Habito. The barangay’s heavily trash-polluted river had reduced the fish and prawns from which the income of the fisher folks depend. The livelihood which most of the people in the village rely on was placed at risk. But now, life in the barangay is so much different.  The dying river then is now free of pollution and the level of income of the community has increased beyond their dreams. The place even become a tourist destination. Habito tells in detail how the people of Barangay Buhatan managed to get out of their predicament. Read More

Photo credit:  Manila Bulletin

Police rogues’ gallery key to arresting prime suspects in QC barangay captain’s killing.  The suspects in the ambush slaying of Barangay Bagong Silangan Chairperson and would-be candidate for Congress Crisell “Beng” Beltran fell one by one in a series of arrests conducted by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit.

What turned the table against them was when an eyewitness positively identified one of the suspects Teofilo Formanes, a market inspector at Commonwealth Market, in a police rogues’ gallery of persons with previous criminal records.  His picture matched with the facial illustration in the artist’s composite picture maker. Read more

Antique barangay kagawad put his life in harm’s way by meddling in barangay trouble.  Barangay Kagawad Edgardo Montañez of Barangay Bombongan in Hamtic town of this province risked his life and lost it when he responded to a trouble at the barangay plaza. He succumbed to stab and gunshot wounds during the commotion that happened after midnight of Sunday, January 5, according to police report. Read more  

Bacolod officials validating information provided by a drug suspect on eight drug-infected barangays in the city. The Bacolod City Police and the Negros Occidental PDEA unit are now confirming a report given by a drug suspect that eight barangays in the city are drug infected. Except one, the suspect did not mention in a radio interview the names of the barangay captains of the said barangays affected.  But their families are still worried about their safety. Read more

Army soldiers bring lamps instead of guns in remote Maguindanao barangay. A company of soldiers "attacked" a remote village in southern Liguasan Marsh to save them from total darkness, reported ABS-CBN News.

“Armed” with solar lights, the soldiers went to Barangay Tugal to install the solar lamp posts.  A total of six solar lamp posts were installed in public places in the barangay.

The soldiers also handed over free lamps to each household as part of the "Light a Barangay" Project of the 33rd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army. 

People in the barangay welcomed the project which is part of the socio-economic activities of the soldiers to help solve the problem of illegal drugs and prevent the possible intrusion of extremists groups in Barangay Tugal and other nearby villages.  Read more

Palawan barangay chairwoman facing charges of illegal cutting of trees. The chairwoman of Barangay Tagabinet is facing administrative charges for illegal cutting of trees to open an unauthorized access road leading to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) in Barangay Cabayugan.

Allen Fernandez of the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) said that Tagabinet chairwoman Juvylyl C. Bonda will be facing sanctions for allowing the illegal cutting of trees valued at P2.895 million to open the 2.1-kilometer access road in Sitio Bayatao to Cabayugan.

In defense, Bonda argued that the road construction project was for the community’s access and convenience.

She said that this is necessary to transport sick people to the hospital. She denied though that she was the one who initiated the project but two of his barangay council members or kagawads. Read more

MMDA trains Bacolod City barangays. At their own expense, 45 Bacolod City barangay and some city officials flew to Manila recently to undergo a 2-day training seminar from February 3 to 4, 2019 on solid waste management at the MMDA head office in Makati City.

Initiated by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, he said the seminar is a big help to their barangay officials in the implementation of the Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.    

He pointed out that this seminar is also aimed at preparing the city for the implementation of waste segregation policy this year. Read more

P21.1M farm to market road in Agusan del Sur barangay completed. The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) has recently turned-over the completed construction of a 2.7-kilometer farm to market road amounting to P21.1M to the farmers and residents of Barangay Algon in the Municipality of Trento of this province.

The concrete road does not only support the rubber and palm oil industries in the municipality but also boost the production of other high-value crops like mangosteen, banana, and cacao in the area.

Barangay Chairperson Doreen Penaloga said that it was a struggle to encourage some of the landowners to donate a part of their area for the road right of way, but with the help of DA-PRDP’s processes in dealing with concerns like this, the issue was eventually resolved. Read more

ALL THE BEST to all barangay officials and staff.  Here’s hoping that you continuously benefit from the information provided by this online news service. By regularly informing you on what’s going in other barangays in other parts of the country, this medium should give you a better perspective in running the day-to-day affairs of your barangay.  You learn from their best practices, success stories and even their mistakes and failures.

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