MANILA – With controversies over defective flood-control projects putting several national agencies under scrutiny, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday pointed to barangays —not departments — as the clearest proof that accountable and transparent governance is both achievable and effective.
In honoring the 10 winning entries in the 2025 Galing Pook Awards in Malacañang, Marcos said the country’s smallest political units are currently outperforming larger government institutions in demonstrating integrity, citizen participation, and results-driven public service.
“Kapag malinaw ang proseso, lumalakas ang tiwala. Kapag may pananagutan, tumataas ang respeto. At kapag inuuna natin ang kapakanan ng taumbayan, sumusunod ang pag-unlad,” the President said, stressing that trust in government can only be restored through “clear, participatory, and reliably implemented” systems at the grassroots.
The sharper message landed at a time when alleged irregularities in multimillion-peso flood-control projects have led to ongoing investigations. Marcos hinted that barangay-level initiatives — many crafted with limited budgets—are offering models that national offices should emulate.
“Ang gaganda nitong proyekto ninyo. Ang naisip ninyong mga bagong project, hindi namin naisip sa national government. Sa barangay lang talaga manggagaling ito,” he told the awardees, acknowledging how innovation is often happening far from central offices.
This year’s Galing Pook Awards is the first in the program’s 31-year history to focus exclusively on barangays, highlighting their crucial role as the first line of public service, disaster response, local justice, and community empowerment. A total of 132 barangay entries were screened, with 10 emerging as national exemplars.
Marcos urged national agencies to adopt and scale up effective models pioneered by barangays, saying such programs show what “transparency and citizen involvement can achieve” when implemented consistently.
Organized by the Galing Pook Foundation with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Local Government Academy, SM Prime Holdings, and the Land Bank of the Philippines, the awards program has recognized 367 outstanding initiatives from 235 local governments since 1993./PN
