Baguio considers barangay merger plan

BAGUIO CITY — Baguio City Liga ng mga Barangay President Rocky Aliping said that consolidating and reducing the number of barangays in the city could result in approximately 500 million pesos in savings for the local government.

Aliping explained that the proposal to reduce the number is to consolidate the city's villages because many current units do not meet the legal requirements to function as independent barangays. He noted that only about 20 barangays, including Irisan, Camp 7, and Bakakeng Norte, currently meet the necessary qualifications.

Aliping said they are presently reviewing the original proposal that suggests that the 128 barangays will be reduced to only 34. He said that they are ironing out the new proposal where the number could be 74 or 75. He stressed that they are looking at having this achieved before 2030.

Under the Local Government Code, a barangay in a highly urbanized city should ideally have a population of at least 5,000 residents. The merger is expected to improve local governance by ensuring that each unit has a complete staff and adheres to salary standardization for officials.

Aliping stated that the funds that could be saved from personal services and administrative costs could be redirected toward infrastructure projects and other public services.

A Technical Working Group (TWG) composed of incumbent barangay officials has been formed to oversee the process. The group is responsible for identifying which barangays will be merged and managing the transition leading up to the 2030 election cycle.

The Liga chief, however, said they are carefully planning the said merger so that it will be acceptable to constituents. Aliping said that the merger will still go through a plebiscite and it will only be a waste of time and resources if the people of Baguio reject it.