Barangay officials’ allowances hike sought
The proposed House Bill 2349, on the other hand, will raise Punong Barangay’s monthly minimum allowance from P1,000 to P3,500
Daily TribuneThe proposed House Bill 2349, on the other hand, will raise Punong Barangay’s monthly minimum allowance from P1,000 to P3,500
Two partylist lawmakers are pushing for increased allowances for barangay officials, aside from granting honoraria and benefits for barangay workers and tanods whose compensations are no longer in line with the regional minimum wage level.
Citing Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, Tingog Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre assert that the said benefits should be granted to the said barangay officials since the law, which was enacted decades ago, no longer suits the current living costs.
The lawmakers also argued that the barangay tanods' exclusion from the law, notwithstanding the services they provide to their residents, was a factor in the bill's passing.
Under RA 7160, barangay officials must get an honorarium of at least P1,000 per month for the chairperson and P600 per month for each member, treasurer, and secretary of the Sangguniang Barangay.
The proposed House Bill 2349, on the other hand, will raise Punong Barangay's monthly minimum allowance from P1,000 to P3,500.
It will also amend Section 393 of the Local Government Code by raising the minimum honoraria or allowances that barangay officials, including barangay tanods and Lupong Tagapamayapa members could receive.
Once passed, the measure would raise the monthly allowance of Sangguniang Barangay members, barangay treasurers, secretaries and tanods from P600 to P2,500.
The approval of the measure, according to the legislators, is crucial because it will lay the groundwork for professionalizing employment procedures in local government units.
The bill, which is currently pending in the House committee on local government, must first be approved by the panel before it reaches the plenary, where it will be scrutinized further and voted on by the rest of the House members.
