Top Barangay Stories and Events This Issue

Incentives await Valenzuela City’s top-performing barangays and schools in Nestle’s plastic waste recovery program.  Nestlé Philippines and the city government of Valenzuela have signed a memorandum of understanding for the country’s first citywide program to recover post-consumer waste laminates such as sachets and used beverage cartons by sorting and collecting them for co-processing in cement kilns, or for recycling and upcycling.

Incentives will be provided to the best-performing barangays and schools. The scheme brings value to waste laminates and UBCs, thereby encouraging the collection of these materials. Training sessions will be conducted for barangays and schools, including teachers and parents, the parties said. READ MORE

Signing the MOU formalizing May BALIK! Sa PLASTIK! are (from left) Rommel Benig, president of Green Antz Builders Inc.; Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian of Valenzuela; Kais Marzouki, Nestlé Philippines chairman and CEO; and Dr. Benjamin D. Samson, assistant school division superintendent of DepEd Valenzuela.

Two barangays in Pampanga declared as “no man’s land.”  Two upland areas in this province were placed under a “no habitation zone” based on assessment made by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

Host to Aeta settlements and their ancestral lands, Sitio Tagak in  Barangay Nabuclod in Floridablanca and Barangay Dias in Porac were placed under a “no habitation zone” due to their “high susceptibility” to landslides, says Noel Lacadin, chief of the geosciences division of MGB Central Luzon. READ MORE

Barangay Captain who run and lost as municipal councilor in the last elections recycles campaign materials.  Campaign materials usually end up in trash bins after an election, but a losing candidate in the recent midterm polls is determined not to let discarded billboards and posters go to waste.  Ian Andres Sevilla, the village chief of Barangay Luntad, in Palo Leyte, instead of disposing of campaign tarpaulins, decided to recycle them into bags and other accessories. READ MORE

Questionable Cebu City’s Barangay Mayor’s Offices to be dismantled. The barangay mayor’s office or (BMOs) in Cebu City’s 80 barangays, which is not provided under the law says incoming mayor-elect Edgardo Labella, will no longer be in operation under his administration.

Abella added during a recent interview with SunStar Cebu that at the very outset, this barangay mayor’s office is not provided under the Local Government Code. It is not in accordance with existing laws and rules. READ MORE

The next job for Comelec is next year's Barangay Elections. Even if the smoke from the May 13 midterm polls has not yet cleared, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is now gearing up for the conduct of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls next year.

The law postponed the Oct. 23, 2017 barangay and SK elections to the second Monday of May 2018.  It also stated that the twin polls be held on the second May of 2020, giving the winning candidates only a two-year term.

After next year’s elections, the term of office of winning bets will be back to three years. READ MORE

The Supreme court tells the Ombudsman to file charges against lady barangay captain. The Supreme Court has directed the Office of the Ombudsman for Visayas to file a case for violation of Article 213(2) of the Revised Penal Code or Illegal Exactions, against a lady barangay captain in Cebu for unauthorized imposition of garbage collection fees.

The case stemmed from the complaint of a resort manager, who alleged in his affidavit-complaint that Lucresia M. Amores, Barangay Captain of Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu illegally collected garbage fees without any ordinance or statute, or any other regulation authorizing its collection.  READ MORE.

Sarangani coastal barangay frees Olive Ridley Turtle back to the sea. Coastal residents of Barangay Burias in the town of Glen in the Province of Sarangani together with environment officials joined hands in setting free an olive ridley sea turtle back to the high seas.

The turtle was saved after it was caught in a fishnet in a coastal area of the barangay.  An environment official had ordered the release of the turtle on learning that it had been in captivity for the last eight months.

The olive ridley sea turtle, also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is  the second smallest of all sea turtles in the world. It is found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. READ MORE

Photo: aquariumofpacific.org

Seaweeds send children to college in Palawan barangay. Seaweeds are the source of livelihood that helped them give their children an education, says Mardy Montano, President of the Cherish Fisherfolks Association based in Sitio Balintang, Barangay Isugod in the town of Quezon in Palawan.

Montano added that unlike in the cities where there are permanent jobs and factories, they have just the sea in their barangay. When there’s a storm, their cooking pots are empty.

Their students are pitiful whenever their fathers don’t earn anything. But because of seaweeds, they now have among their children an agricultural engineer and other professionals.  READ MORE

Nueva Ecija barangay hosts Batch 193 graduates of  SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers Training Program.  Helping to bring back hope in farming, the agricultural knowledge of farmers are updated through the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers’ Training Program. For 12 weeks, farmers are taught on effective backyard planting and small-scale farming techniques for fruits and vegetables. This helps improve the quality and quantity of their crops as well as provide organic food for their families. The program also assists farmers who who cooperatives by linking them to local markets and SM suppliers for a more stable source of income.

Batch 193 of SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers’ Training Program pose after harvesting the fruits of their labor in Barangay Daang Sarile in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. Partners of SM Foundation for this batch are Macondray Philippines, Department of Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development, local government unit of Cabanatuan City, and SM Group of companies (SM City Cabanatuan, SM Supermarket and Savemore Megacenter)

ALL THE BEST to all barangay officials and functionaries as well as those who follow developments in the barangays.  Here’s hoping that you continuously benefit from the information provided by Barangay Reporter. By regularly informing you on what’s going in other barangays nationwide, this medium should help you get a good bearing on how you measure up compared with your peers in other barangays thus giving you a better perspective in approaching your work in your respective barangay.

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Cavite barangay launches “Plastic Palit Bigas” Project

Barangay Tartaria in Silang, Cavite recently started its “Isang kilong plastic, isang kilong bigas” project to encourage their residents to properly dispose of their waste. With the project, residents get a kilo of rice for every kilo of plastic brought into the barangay.  The goal of the project is to make  “ecobricks” out of the plastics collected. The plastics will be shredded and placed inside plastic bottles in order to make construction materials such as building blocks. Read the full story

Tabuk City in Kalinga province automates barangay transaction system. The city has initiated the installation of an “auto-generated” barangay system that is said to be the first of its kind in the province and probably in the entire Cordillera region.

According to Tabuc City ICT manager Nathaniel G. Dalanao, the program aims to speed up government transactions at the barangay level to include fees collection and bookkeeping, acquisition of community tax certificate or cédula and other permits and certificates being issued by the barangay.

The city government is targeting to equip its 42 barangays with the system to provide transparency and automation of information. Read the full story

Tarlac barangay officials urged to promote children’s rights and welfare. In a recent gathering in Barangay Anao in Tarlac, Regional Director Gemma Gabuya of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) urged barangay officials to strengthen and uphold children’s rights, protection and empowerment.  She reminded them on the goal of the local government when it comes to children protection and empowerment of children.

In consultation with representatives of national agencies concerned with child and youth welfare, barangay councils have the authority under the law to enact the necessary ordinances and resolutions consistent with laws or city/municipal ordinances that provide for the proper development and welfare of the children in the community.  Read the full story

Can barangay chiefs carry firearms?  The police raided the house of a Zambales barangay captain suspected of illegally possessing firearms. The chairman of Barangay Aglao in San Marcelino, Zambales, Eduardo G. Lopez Sr. was arrested during a raid in his house early in the morning of February 5, 2019. Confiscated from him were two long firearms, two pistols, assorted ammunitions and explosives. A search warrant issued last January 28 was served by the San Marcelino police during the raid.  The law allows barangay chiefs to possess firearms provided they are licensed, are carried within barangay limits and there are no election bans. Read the full story

Camarines Norte lady barangay chief turns over P5.4 Million worth of cocaine fished out of the sea.  Barangay Chairperson Rosemarie Abogado of Barangay Sula in Vinsons, Camarines Norte last week helped in turning over to the police a package wrapped in plastic containing more than a kilo of cocaine worth P5.4 million. Two fishermen who are both residents of the barangay, Alfredo Vega, 61, and his son Junior, both residents of the barangay were fishing when they recovered a package wrapped in plastic and floating on the coastal waters of Quinamnucan Island. They later surrendered the package after Barangay Chair Abogado reported the incident to the Vinsons police.

Anti-narcotics operatives are now tracking down the drug group that could be using the province’s shorelines as a drop off site for illegal drug shipment. Read the full story

More Iloilo City barangays to be declared drug-free. The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are looking forward to declare 50 percent of Iloilo City’s slightly affected barangays as drug-cleared at the end of the first quarter. The city has 69 slightly-affected barangays out of 180. Meanwhile, PDEA and PNP officials said that they will continue to conduct anti-drug operations in barangays despite being declared drug-free. The anti-drug operations will continue because they want to maintain the status of the barangay. Read the full story

Barangays included in the Seal of Good Governance Award. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that starting this year, barangays will be included in its “Seal of Good Local Governance” (SGLG) award alongside other local government units. “This time around, we will compel our barangays to perform well in accordance with the programs of the department and all other agencies of the government,” says DILG-Iloilo City Director Ferdinand Panes.

The programs that are being mandated in barangays will compose the criteria for the barangay category of the award. These include environment, disaster and social protection.

He added that those who pass the criteria can expect some incentives from the department. The main aim of Seal of Good Local Governance Award is incentivizing best performing LGUs. Barangays are also included so they can try their best and prove to their constituents that they are worthy of their mandate. Read the full story

QC official recommends measures to barangay health workers in the fight against measles breakout. In a recent Manila Bulletin news release, Quezon City councilor Victor Ferrer stressed the importance of health workers in dealing with the breakout since they are in the front lines and they are directly in contact with residents in their respective areas. He said that they can provide the first hand information whenever there is an increase of incidence of any particular disease.  He called on them to always check the supply of needed medicines for common ailments to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. He also suggested ideas to barangay officials on how to effectively help prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Read the full story

61 Barangays in North Cotabato now part of BARMM.  Sixty one barangays in seven towns in North Cotabato are now under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as a result of Wednesday’s plebiscite in the province. Voters in six out of the 67 barangays in the province that were subjected to the exercise opposed their inclusion in BARMM’s coverage. Those who voted negatively will remain under the control of the municipal government in the Administrative Region 12. Read the full story  

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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