Governor Rodolfo del Rosario has directed barangay officials to reorganize and mobilize their respective barangay development councils (BDCs) in order to qualify for the implementation of projects courtesy of the provincial government.
The governor stressed that starting July all barangays must reactivate their BDCs for them to avail of infrastructure projects from the province, especially project proposals included under the Project NOBLE (No Barangay Left Behind).
Del Rosario earlier pledged to continue implementing Project NOBLE during his next term of office.
The program, which the governor originated, is a resource allocation mechanism that ensures all the 223 barangays of the province a fair share of the provincial budget, with a P1M assistance for soft-projects within three years.
Most, if not all, the on-going projects were duly identified by the barangay councils themselves through formal resolutions.
This time around, the governor requires the all-out involvement of the BDCs in making project proposals.
“In order for them to qualify under our Project NOBLE, all the barangays must now convene their BDCs regularly to endorse the proposals of the barangay councils,” Del Rosario declared.
The governor revealed that during a recent fellowship meeting with President-elect Benigno Aquino III, the president-elect gave his marching order for all the BDCs in the country to be reactivated.
“We need to reorganize our BDCs as this is the mandate of the new president,” said the governor.
He said Aquino recognizes the crucial role of BDCs in the development of the barangay, being the basic political units of the government.
“The BDCl has a great role to play as it guarantees that ordinary residents can actively participate in crucial decisions that work for the good of their own community,” Del Rosario quoted the incoming president as saying.
As provided under the local government code (LGC), the BDC acts as the planning body of the barangay, which assists the Barangay Council in setting the direction for economic and social development, as well as in coordinating development efforts within the locality.
Del Rosario noted that since the BDC has the authority to formulate a barangay development plan in a participatory process, resources like the internal revenue allocation made available to the barangay could now best be put to use for its most urgent needs.
According to him, this gives its members, including people’s organizations, the opportunity to push for projects that benefit especially the marginalized sectors, and to make the community more self-reliant and less dependent on outside assistance,
“Hindi pwede yung proposals na galling sa barangay council lang. kailangan galling at may endorsement na talaga ng BDC (project proposals must now be certified by the BDCs as those coming from the barangay council alone would not suffice anymore), Del Rosario said.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) reported that less than 50% of the barangay development councils are active and less than 70% of the barangays prepare a comprehensive barangay development plan.
It cited as a major reason the lack of the capacity of the BDC to perform its mandated task.
The governor pledged to provide the necessary technical assistance, among other interventions needed to revitalize the BDCs, particularly in the formulation of the barangay development plan, as well as in ensuring that the planning processes really involve broader participation.
