DILG appeals: Be good leaders

The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Sunday appealed to newly-elected Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials to become good leaders in the exercise of their functions.

During the Alay sa Masa oath-taking ceremony of newly-elected barangay officials in Quirino province over the weekend, DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. stressed that leadership is all about responsibility and providing better service to the public.

"What the country needs at this time are leaders who have vision and integrity who can inspire and unite their communities," Abalos said. "We need each of you to be a leader who has integrity, who has vision, and one who inspires and unites the community."

The DILG chief pointed out that the Philippines is the only country in the world that implements barangay system, which plays an indispensable role in delivering efficient governance and delivery of basic services at the grassroots level.

Abalos also outlined some of the primary tasks that the incoming barangay officials should focus on during their term which include nutrition and health services for mothers and their children, accessible education, and full support to DILG's ongoing holistic anti-illegal drugs campaign, the Buhay Ingatan, Droga'y Ayawan or BIDA program.

He also joined handing out P200,000 for the "Kwarto ni Neneng" project of the Quirino Provincial Police Office which aims to prevent rape incidents and other cases of sexual abuse by providing support to the poorest of the poor who are susceptible to such crimes.