CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A village chief from one of the numbered barangays here and some city lawmakers have disagreed with the ordinance institutionalizing the “purok” system in providing development programs in every barangay in this city.
POLICE Station 6 Puerto, members of the Barangay Peace Action Team, and residents of Purok 5 Naga, Barangay Puerto join the simultaneous city-wide clean-up drive in Cagayan de Oro on August 20, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Police Station 6 Puerto)
Barangay 23 Captain Jaime Joshua Frias II stressed that the ordinance’s validity is out of context, highlighting a provision of Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, which states that the barangay serves as the primary planning and implementing unit of government policies and programs within its community.
“They (purok) do not belong to the primer planner of the barangay,” he said in an interview on Tuesday, February 27.
Purok Development Program Ordinance
Last Monday, the city council passed proposed Ordinance No. 2024-393, or the Purok Development Program Ordinance, which was certified as urgent by Mayor Rolando Uy, that aims to transform the purok as a powerful tool for community mobilization and action and further improve the delivery of services.
A minority legislator made a motion for deferment but Uy-allied lawmakers pushed for approval despite questions being raised.
Contradictory to the law
Prior to the passage, Councilor Yevonna Yacine Emano cited Section 5 of the proposed ordinance that seeks to establish city purok consultants to be appointed by the mayor as it may seem contradictory to the Local Government Code which states that a local chief executive has only general supervision over component barangays to ensure that they act on their prescribed powers and functions.
“By assigning persons at the barangay level as consultants, the city mayor will now in effect have the power of control over barangays, rather than just the mere power of general supervision, which the LGC allows,” she said.
Duties
Under the ordinance, these city purok consultants will be responsible in the organization, strengthening, expansion of purok, and supervision in the conduct of the election of purok officers in coordination with the barangay officials.
These functions were also questioned by Councilor Jose Pepe Abbu Jr., considering that barangay officials have the power to divide their villages into puroks as stated in Section 4 of the ordinance.
Aside from purok presidents, there shall also be an election for Barangay Federation of Purok President and City Federation of Purok President but there were no specified functions stated in the ordinance specifically for these positions. These elections will again be facilitated by city purok consultants.
P3,000 incentive
Once elected, purok presidents are entitled to receive P3,000 as incentive and an additional P3,000 for those elected presidents of the Barangay and City Purok Federation.
But the Barangay 23 chief said the resources to be used as incentives should instead be utilized in paying personnel who would supervise to address the top challenges on the barangay level such as solid waste management.
Frias also questioned why the ordinance was certified urgent even though there was no calamity.
In DILG Opinion No. 27, Series of 2009, the authority of the local chief executives to certify a legislative matter as urgent is granted by law to quickly respond to “any exigency of public service, public emergency, or calamity which requires immediate attention and solution.”
Sanctions
Abbu also questioned the administrative sanctions stated in Section 28, where barangay officials shall be held administratively liable if found remiss in the implementation of the ordinance. “It would now seem that the city government has now direct control over barangays,” he said.
Frias made no direct comment when asked about the administrative sanctions and just said that the ordinance vanishes the art of autonomy of the barangay to come up with best practices.
Abbu said in a text message that the ordinance may be raised before the court to restrain its implementation.
City Council Minority Floor Leader Councilor Christian Rustico also added that they will wait if there’s a petition coming from the barangays.
Benefits to barangays
Under the ordinance, a Search for Outstanding Puroks and Barangays will be conducted to recognize them for their performance in cleanliness, health and sanitation, purok functionality, and socio-economic activities.
The city government will provide P60,000 cash and P1.5 million worth of projects as first prize; P50,000 cash and P1 million worth of projects as second prize, and P30,000 cash and P500,000 worth of projects third prize.
Councilor Roger Abaday said that through the ordinance, people will be empowered to participate in community governance by addressing various problems in their areas.