The Senate bill seeking to fix salaries, and not just honorarium of barangay officials must be studied first.
Agdao barangay councilor Roger Galedo said that in Senate Bill 2097 or the Magna Carta for Barangays, filed by Senator Sonny Angara, the fixed salaries must be based on the number of population of barangays.
“If ever we will be considered as regular employees, in my part is unjust for barangays with a wide area of constituently and have population much bigger than others,” Galedo said.
Galedo said that having a huge number of constituents is an exhausting job, especially on their part, who are the frontliners of the government.
Under the Local Government Code of the Philippines, barangay officials are only compensated through honorarias.
A barangay chairman gets an honorarium of at least P1,000 per month, while councilors, treasurers and secretaries each receive P600 monthly each.
He also said that the salaries of the barangay officials would also depend on the barangay’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
Under section 284 of the Local Government Code, the allotment is largely based upon the barangay’s land area and population.
Angara, chairman of the Senate local government committee, said that bill will introduce wide-ranging reforms to improve the services and facilities in all barangays in the country, making barangay officials regular state employees who will be entitled to regular pay and benefits.
