Rizal 4th district Rep. Fidel Nograles (PPAB)

Rizal 4th district Rep. Fidel Nograles reminded barangay officials that they cannot deny the use of covered courts and other facilities for government activities, based on a memorandum from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“Let us be mindful that we are public servants first. We are duty-bound to serve everyone regardless of religion or political inclination,” Nograles said in a statement on Monday, Sept. 23.

“Ang nangyayari kasi minsan, napagkakaitan ng serbisyo ang mga nasa komunidad dahil nababahiran ng pulitika,” he noted.

(What happens sometimes, people in the community are denied services because it is tainted by politics.)

Under the DILG memo dated Aug. 23, the agency acknowledged that some barangay officials prohibit the use of government facilities despite proper coordination and request by government agencies or officials.

In this regard, the DILG reminded barangays to allow the use of its properties, upon request, for the implementation of government programs and projects or other public purposes.

Nograles, chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Employment, also reminded barangay leaders to ensure that barangay certifications, such as certificates of residency and indigency, are issued upon the request of barangay inhabitants without delay.

The same DILG memorandum states that in case requests for certification are denied, the concerned barangay are required to fully explain it in writing.

The name of the person making the denial and the grounds upon which it was made should be stated, it said.