By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
The importance of barangay officials have come to the fore since the lockdown. All food packs were coursed through them. The validation of the list of those who are entitled to cash aid were also coursed through them.
And our incurable disease called politics immediately surfaced. The aid or food packs were being used for political purposes. More so in mega manila where their constituents would be in the hundreds of thousands. In the provinces like Baguio City, any hanky-panky with respect to their newfound powers would be easily discernible.
The problem, however, arises as to the competence of our barangay officials. As had been the reality since time immemorial and still is, the good and competent people in the barangay did not and still do not want to become barangay officials. Even in the exclusive subdivisions in Metro Manila. To the extent that the phrase barangay official has come some sort of a derision. For what would one get when he becomes one? Nothing.
They only become important during election periods when they become the village captains in getting-out-the-votes operations. It is only during such times that they are compensated well by the candidates they carry, if not with outright cash, with future economic (public work contracts) or political favors.
Another motivation for becoming a barangay official is when you are pining for some stature in the community on account of having no stature to speak of. And so it is that most who win in barangay elections are those with the most drinking buddies around the village.
Little did they know that they would be faced with gargantuan tasks. They are the first line of defense in political matters and in all sorts of dispute among their constituents. Even a quarrel over the dog shit of a neighbor is brought to them. Domestic quarrels are also par for the course, debunking what one incumbent once said that only husband and wife problems in bed were never brought to his attention.
Legally, almost all civil cases between individuals have to be brought first to the barangay officials for conciliation purposes. And were they enabled through professional training for that purpose? Nope.
They also have no working time. They are on-call 24/7. One former barangay captain in Baguio recalled that one of his constituents knocked on their door in the middle of the night—disturbing whatever nocturnal activity he was having with his wife– for some money to bring a baby to the hospital.
With all these troubles one has to face with no respectable formal compensation, who would like to become a barangay official? Only those with nothing better to do.
This has to change. Better villages can result if only there is enough motivation for good and competent residents to become barangay officials. That is, there should be proper compensation and that competence should be a requirement. As of now, if you are sipsip to higher politicians then your are a shoo-in as a barangay captain especially if your village is vote-rich.
It might have taken this long but some changes are visible in some exclusive villages in Makati which should be replicated elsewhere. One of the most prominent persons to become a barangay official in an exclusive subdivision there was billionaire businessman Joe Conepcion of Concepcion Industries fame.
Another indication of such change was the well publicized letter to Sen. Manny Pacquiao to explain to barangay officials why he had a party during the lockdown. Such officials are certainly competent and would not suffer a violation of the rule of law. Much less from stupid politicians.
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