THE COMMISSION on Elections is busy preparing for another election this year – the barangay polls this October 2023. Yesterday it said they had already printed 15 percent of the projected ballots.
This electoral exercise is crucial because we are electing grassroots government officials – the most visible faces of government service.
But take note of this – barangay officials receive honorarium only based on their share of the Internal Revenue Allotment. Come to think of it, it’s like they are casual government employees when in fact, they do real job on the ground – for example, keeping peace and order in the villages, ensuring that drainage systems work, helping the poor seek medical care, even shelling out personal money to someone in great need. It’s about time this compensation aberration is remedied.
Barangay officials are expected to function above and beyond the normal service hours extended by the government to the people, given the proximity of the barangay to homes and workplaces. They have the tough job of facing the people practically 24/7 and dealing with problems on the ground. No national government official does this crucial job. They are mostly ensconced in their air-conditioned offices, far from the nitty-gritty tasks of groundwork.
But the sad reality is this – our barangay officials are not compensated well. There has long been a proposal seeking a fixed salary for barangay officials. Approving this would be a big step in recognizing the vital role of those in the frontline of government service in nation-building. They are not job hires; they are regular government officials and employees, too.
At present, a barangay captain is getting an honorarium of at least P1,000 per month while the councilors, the treasurer and secretary each receive P600 monthly. With all their sacrifices in serving the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it is just right that our barangay officials are given the proper recognition and compensation they deserve.
In fact, they deserve to be paid more than other officials of the government.
