ILOILO — If civil service eligibility is to become a qualification for barangay officials, the same standard should be imposed on elected government officials all the way to the national level, according to Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) – Iloilo Province Chapter President Amalia Debuque.
Debuque raised the point in response to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s proposal to require barangay chairpersons, treasurers and administrators to be civil service eligible because they serve on the frontlines of government service.
Rather than imposing the qualification only at the barangay level, Debuque said any move to introduce civil service eligibility into elective public office should be applied more broadly.
“That has to be applied to all government elected positions, ‘di ba? Indi puede or puros lang nga barangay lang ang may civil service eligibility…If you’re occupying a national seat you must have more eligibility,” said Debuque.
Debuque also cautioned that imposing a blanket civil service eligibility requirement could pose practical problems for small, remote and island barangays where the pool of residents who possess such eligibility may be limited.
She said policymakers should first consider the demographics and circumstances of individual barangays, noting that some villages in the province have populations of only about 300.
“Lantawon ta anay ang demographics of the barangay. Siguro sa mga syudad may possibility pero paano sa mga bukid or isla nga barangay nga tama kagamay kag wala kita may makita nga eligible?” Debuque pointed out.
Under existing qualifications for barangay elective positions, candidates must meet requirements that include Philippine residency, registration as a voter in the locality where they seek office, and the ability to read and write. Civil service eligibility is not currently required.
Remulla recently proposed requiring barangay chairpersons, treasurers and administrators to possess civil service eligibility, arguing that officials at the grassroots level should meet professional standards because they constitute the public’s first line of government service.
“Kasi first line of service ‘yan, dapat ‘yan civil service eligible para naman maayos,” Remulla said in an interview recently. “Dapat ‘yan diyan pa lang efficient na tayo.”
The Ombudsman also acknowledged that civil service eligibility is not a legal qualification for the presidency, describing the absence of such a requirement as another issue.
“Problema ‘yan pero ‘wag na muna ‘yan. Dahan-dahan, isa-isa ,” the Ombudsman said.
Remulla further called for a reexamination of the country’s barangay system, saying even the smallest political unit is not immune to practices associated with pork-barrel politics. He did not elaborate on the claim./PN