Barangay and SK Governance in the Philippines1

1A requirement submitted by Michael John D. Sison in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the course Local Governance and Regional Administration (DM 219) under the Supervision of Dr. Josefina B. Bitonio; 1st Sem., S.Y. 2014-2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 I would like to thank authors, writers, bloggers, and everybody who sparked ideas about governance and youth participation in Philippine governance. Their work has greatly contributed and helped me in 

completing this graduate school requirement. 

I would also like to thank my professor, Dr. Josefina Bitonio, who accommodated me in finalizing this project.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Origin Definition History Issues Springboard discussion

OriginBarangay

Before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, there were well-founded organized independent villages called Barangays, tracing their origin to  balangay, a Malay word meaning “sailboat.”

Definit ion and ImportanceBarangay

In the Philippines, a barangay is the equivalent of a village. It is the basic political unit as enshrined in the 1987 Constitution and the 1991 Local Government Code or LGC (PIDS, 2009).

Definit ion and ImportanceBarangay

Among the local government units (LGUs), the barangay is considered to be the level closest to the people in terms of access and proximity (PIDS, 2009).

HistoryTraditionally, the original

“barangays” were coastal settlements built by Malayo-Polynesian groups who migrated to the archipelago from other places in Southeast Asia. Most relied on fishing for food and livelihood (InterAksyon.com).

HistoryPre-Hispanization

The first barangays started as relatively small communities of from 50 to 100 families (InterAksyon.com).

Legends state the then Philippine archipelago was settled by Bornean datus who founded a political configuration in the Visayas and wrote legal codes (Miclat, 2012).

HistoryPre-Hispanization

A barangay was headed by a datu who is the executive, legislative, and judge in consultation with a council of elders. Datuship was attained through the inheritance, physical prowess, wealth, wisdom, or through the combination of these attributes. The leadership is also referred to as rajah, gat and lakan (Miclat, 2012).

HistorySpanish Period

Once settled, the Spaniards begun their colonization through their sword and cross. They adopted the existing system of barangays (Miclat, 2012).

(Then,) many barangays had already developed into large communities (InterAksyon.com).

History

Leyte

PampangaPampanga

SuluSulu

CebuCebu

There were bustling trade centers among the

affluent and powerful coastal barangays in

LagunaLaguna Pasig

Pasig

PangasinanPangasinan

Cagayan River

Cagayan River

Pre-Hispanization

Source: InterAksyon.com

HistorySpanish Period

BARANGAY headed byCabeza de Barangay(barangay chief)

formed part of the Elite ruling class;

was at first inherited from the first Datus ; and

primary job was to collect taxes (or tribute).

Source: De Guzman, 2010

HistoryAmerican era: rural councilsWhen the country came under American colonizers, Rural Councils were created: four councilors assisted the village chief now  re-named Barrio Lieutenant, now our  barangay captain (InterAksyon.com)

Also, during the American regime, the barangay became the barrio (De Guzman, 2010).

HistoryBarangay under dictatorship

President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the renaming of barrios back to barangays. The cabeza de barangay became the punong barangay or the barangay captain. The municipal council was abolished upon the transfer of powers to the barangay system (De Guzman, 2010).

Marcos issued Presidential Decree 86, creating the Citizens Assemblies in December 31, 9172 (InterAksyon.com)

HistoryIn April 8, 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree 431, amending Barrio Charter Act which changed the terms for the barangays:

Source: InterAksyon.com

HistoryBarangay post-EDSA

After the 1986 EDSA Revolution, the Municipal Council was restored under the new Constitution, making the barangay the smallest unit of Philippine government.

Landmark changes in the powers and responsibilities of the barangay system came about with the Local Government Code of October 10, 1991, chiefly authored by then former Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. (InterAksyon.com).

History

HistoryAfter the EDSA Revolution in 1986 and the

drafting of the 1987 Constitution, the Municipal Council was restored, making the barangay the smallest unit of government in Philippine politics. Political parties take advantage of the power of the barangay because of its strong influence on the grassroots level (De Guzman, 2010).

The Present-day Barangay

Section 384 of the Local Government Code of 1991 states that: “As the basic political unit, the barangay serves as the primary planning and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs, projects and activities in the community, and as a forum wherein the collective views of the people may be expressed, crystallized and considered, and where disputes may be amicably settled,” (De Guzman, 2010).

The Present-day BarangayThe present-day barangay is composed of:

The Present-day BarangayThe Sangguniang Barangay has seven regular members and the Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan president (Miclat, 2012).

Each member heads a committee:Peace and

OrderAppropriations, Finance, Ways

and Means

Education Agriculture

Health

Youth and Sports

Infrastructure

Tourism

Source: De Guzman, 2010

The Present-day BarangayIn the process local level politicians and leaders

had engaged themselves in the electoral exercise. This had become the training ground for younger generation political leaders from traditional political dynasties and elites in the local areas...

The exercise institutionalized a socio-political phenomenon of petty ego-inflating and fiefdom-building schemes that perpetuated political dynasticism in the area (Miclat, 2012).

The Present-day Barangay5 things that barangay officials get (Go, 2013):

Discretion over the IRA;Share in other allocations for local government units;Power to collect fees for what we thought were “normal” activities;Health insurance, scholarships, automatic civil service eligibility; andThe chance to become city/town councilor or provincial board member and make laws

Issues“Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan,” this

striking line was penned and immortalized in the poem A la Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth) by Dr. Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero and pride of Malay race.

In the context of youth participation in Philippine governance and Sangguniang Kabataan, can we say that the youth of this country have fared well in taking up that challenge?

Article II, Section 13 of the 1987 Phil ippine Constitution

The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs (http://www.gov.ph).

Even before it became a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC), the Philippines had already enacted a law to ensure that the voices of children and young people were heard on issues that directly concerned them. So far, it is the only country in the world to have a grassroots-based, government-funded political structure for young people that is recognized nationwide (UNICEF, 2007).

Legal Bases PD603 or the Child and Youth Welfare Code.

“The child is not a mere creature of the State. Hence, his individual traits and aptitudes should be cultivated to the utmost insofar as they do not conflict with the general welfare,” (www.lawphil.net).

Legal Bases

Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991.

It formed the Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) to tap and harness the energy, enthusiasm, and idealism of young people. Those aged 15 to 17 years old in a barangay could register in the KK and have the right to vote and be voted into a governing body called the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK). (UNICEF, 2007).

Accomplishments and success stories

In 2007, UNICEF, et al, published its study The Impact of Youth Participation in the Local Government Process, it highlighted the potentials of the Sanguniang Kabataan that:

“Like the KB, the SK has produced a crop of local government officials, as well as national legislators. SK Federations at all levels have also been consistent in celebrating the annual Linggo ng Kabataan (Youth Week), a yearly weeklong event when youth members get the opportunity to act as officials of all local government and national agencies for a week.”

Accomplishments and success stories

Other concrete examples of the SK’s potential as a vehicle for youth participation:

• Some SK officials in the barangay and municipal levels consistently involve the KK and other youth in consultations and project development.

• A former SK chairperson mentored his successor in developing projects that went beyond holding the usual summer sportsfest such as basketball tournaments for young men in barangays.

• Another SK official coordinated with her fellow SK officials and with proper agencies to initiate a

reforestation project in her area” (UNICEF, 2007).

IssuesOver the years though, as

what often happens with a once-noble purpose, the Sangguniang Kabataan has been twisted and turned into something that is no longer in unison with its original purpose. It has become as opento graft and corruption as the government itself, and instead of fostering future good leaders, it only seems to teach the youth about the corruption that exists in the government at a very early age.

- Tony Katigbak

Republic Act No. 10632

An Act to postpone the Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on October 28, 2013, amending for the purpose of Republic Act No. 9340, and for other purposes.

Problems at the local level: Training ground for political dynasties; Access to public funds as a breeding ground for corruption;

and Responsibility, transparency, and accountability issues; and Can be easily manipulated/persuaded or corrupted by the

Philippine political system and/or other public officials.

Problems at the national level: A study was made two Mass Communication

students in University of the Philippines Diliman to explore the proliferation of corrupt practices in the Sangguniang Kabataan National Federation (SKNF), the highest unit in the system of youth participation in Philippine governance. The researchers found that corrupt practices exist in the SKNF due to the lack of external auditing. Since its inception in 1992, the SKNF remains free from auditing despite the millions of public funds that the office holds.

Problems at the national level:The study entitled SK: Sistemang Korap? An

investigative study of corrupt practices in the Sangguniang Kabataan National Federation, the researchers found that no government agency owns up to the responsibility of monitoring and overseeing the proceedings of the SKNF. Agency heads, however, pointed out that SKNF officials are too young and are ill-equipped to carry out the duties given to them, being only between 15 to 17 years of age upon assumption of office (iskwiki.upd.edu.ph ).

Which side are you for?

SK Abolit ionAccording to Marlon Cornelio, Chair of the Youth Governance and Participation Committee, Youth and Students Sector of National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC YS), there are various reasons for SK abolition:

One, SK is considered as a breeding ground for corrupt leaders. Two, SK officials are non-performing or have insignificant contribution to the community; most of their projects are building waiting sheds and signages, sports fests or paliga. Three, SK officials cannot perform their function as they have to attend school (or SK officials have to cut schooling just to perform their functions). And four, they are just too young, easily corrupted and irresponsible (Cornelio, Marlon).

SK ReformThere have been numerous bills filed in both houses of Congress to reform parts of the SK or completely replace the youth representation system:

Senate Bill 1090, establishing the Liga ng Bayaning Kabataang (LBK). It aims to increase the age bracket of youth officials to 18-24 years old, from 15-17 years old. The new body will be composed of representatives of accredited youth organizations (by Sen. Bam Aquino);

Kabataan Empowerment bill (by Senator JV Ejercito) (Bueza, 2014).

SK ReformThere have been numerous bills filed in both houses of Congress to reform parts of the SK or completely replace the youth representation system:

Senate Bill 663, proposed to extend the term of barangay and SK officials to 5 years from the current 3 years (Sen. Bongbong Marcos);

House Bill 1122, which seeks to replace the SK with a Barangay Youth Council. He was also among the proponents of the SK elections postponement law; and

For its part, the NYC pushes for SK Reform and Empowerment Bill, for SK fiscal autonomy, the amendment of the age of youth officials, and mandatory leadership and entrepreneurial trainings (Bueza, 2014).

SK Reform Call for SK reform

Instead of the SK Federation set-up, Aquino proposed the Local Youth Development Council framework, which will empower other youth organizations and turn them into partners of elected local youth councils.

"What this means is that young people’s needs will not be the sole responsibility of the SK, but of your organizations as well," Aquino said in Filipino (Roca, 2014).

SK Reform

Youth entrepreneurship

Another policy resolution that Aquino singled out was the one formulated by the parliament’s Committee on Youth Employment, which proposed to support entrepreneurship opportunities for young Filipinos.

“We will ask the Department of Education to include financial literacy and entrepreneurship (in our) basic education curriculum and in tertiary education,” he said (Roca, 2014).

To or not to revive Kabataang Barangay? There are those who say that could only be expected of a

body patterned after the Kabataang Barangay (KB), a brainchild of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. The KB was meant to counter the growing popularity of the Left among the youth but soon became a tool to perpetuate the Marcos regime and deprive his enemies of recruits.

But those who created the SK years later apparently saw something in the KB structure that made them appropriate it for the new youth organization. That wasn’t what made it open to corruption, though (Olarte, Avigail).

Springboard DiscussionDr. Jose Rizal, the country’s national hero,

penned and immortalized in the poem A la Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth) the line: “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.”

Throughout the decades, in the context of youth participation in Phil ippine governance and Sangguniang Kabataan, has the youth of our country has fared well in taking up that challenge?

WEBLIOGRAPHY:READ MORE ON THESE ONLINE RESOURCES: Antonio, Raymund, F. Registration for SK polls set. http://www.mb.com.ph/registration-for-sk-polls-set/ September 6, 2014

Balod, H. S. & Goño, C.M. The SKema of Youth Leaders: An Investigative study on the Regulation of the Sangguniang Kabataan, Unpublished undergraduate thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication http://iskwiki.upd.edu.ph/index.php/The_SKema_of_Youth_Leaders:_An_Investigative_study_on_the_Regulation_of_the_Sangguniang_Kabataan#.U_013tK1ZcQ (2010).

Bueza, Michael. Congress urged to fast-track SK reform bills. http://www.rappler.com/nation/65731-national-youth-commission-congress-fast-track-sk-reform-bills Published August 09, 2014

Bueza, Michael. Registration for 2015 SK polls set. http://www.rappler.com/nation/68291-registration-2015-sk-election September 05, 2014

Bueza, Michael. SK reforms to bring us back to Kabataang Barangay? http://www.rappler.com/nation/40508-sk-reforms-hearing-kabataang-barangay Published October 04, 2013

Cornelio, Marlon. Amidst Mounting Calls for Abolition, SK Should Start Working Good! A Position Paper on SK Abolition. http://akbayanyouth.wordpress.com/campaigns-and-activities/campaigns/sk-reform-position-paper/

De Guzman, Sara Soliven. The vital role of the barangay in nation building. http://www.philstar.com/opinion/625786/vital-role-barangay-nation-building Updated November 1, 2010

Delos Reyes, R. and Lopez, M. Sistemang Korap? An investigative study of corrupt practices in the Sangguniang Kabataan National Federation. Unpublished undergraduate thesis. University of the Philippines Diliman. http://iskwiki.upd.edu.ph/index.php/Sistemang_Korap%3F_An_investigative_study_of_corrupt_practices_in_the_Sangguniang_Kabataan_National_Federation#.U_01mdK1ZcQ (2014).

WEBLIOGRAPHY:READ MORE ON THESE ONLINE RESOURCES: Fernandez, Amanda. Comelec orders update of SK voters’ list ahead of registration. GMA News

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/378781/news/nation/comelec-orders-update-of-sk-voters-list-ahead-of-registration September 11, 2014

Go, Miriam Grace A. 5 things we serve barangay officials on a silver platter. http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections-2013/42316-barangay-officials-funds-powers-perks Posted October 27, 2013

Katigbak, Tony. Time to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan. INTROSPECTIVE in The Philippine Star. http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/07/10/963744/time-abolish-sangguniang-kabataan Updated July 10, 2013

Ladia, Charles. Why the Sangguniang Kabataan needs an overhaul. http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/70347-sangguniang-kabataan-needs-overhaul September 27, 2014

Olarte, Avigail, M. So Young and So Trapo. Focus on Filipino Youth: The Lost Generation in Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. http://pcij.org/i-report/3/sk.html Published September 2005.

Reyes, Ernie. BARANGAY HISTORY 101 | From pre-Hispanic, to colonial to modern, the barangay chief's 'the man’ InterAksyon.comhttp://www.interaksyon.com/article/73585/barangay-history-101--from-pre-hispanic-to-colonial-to-modern-the-barangay-chiefs-the-man October 28, 2013

Roca, Toby. Bam Aquino: SK reform a priority. http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/58505-aquino-youth-parliament-resolutions-gifts Published May 21, 2014

Uy, Jocelyn, R. Youth polls wanted reset. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/639783/youth-polls-wanted-reset#ixzz3Fj55Ygq8 Philippine Daily Inquirer. September 22, 2014

DISCLAIMER:ALL OF THE PICTURES/GRAPHICS USED IN THIS PRESENTATION ARE NOT AUTHOR’S OWN.