Outstanding barangays show excellence in fiscal management, dispute resolution

DAVAO CITY – For showing management skills in fiscal administration, dispute resolution and other local government functions, barangays here were accorded honors by the prestigious civic organization, Junior Chamber International (JCI)-Davao, which announced that they would continue the search for the outstanding barangays after finding inspiration from the excellent work of the rest of those areas which participated..

Barangay Matina Crossing, one of the populated but strategically-located barangays in a southern intersection of the city, bagged the top honors for their outstanding work in several categories, including the top awards for dispute resolution and cleanliness and beautification.

Barangays Calinan Poblacion, about 30 kilometers north of downtown Davao, got the award for its fiscal management; Barangay Wilfredo Aquino, in eastern downtown area, and named after the barangay captain who was killed in the 1980's, was honored for its innovation in peace and order; and Barangay Bucana, for its projects in community development.

Steve Arquiza, executive director of the JCI said that the top-performing barangays showed remarkable efforts in the various categories, and a scan on the scrapbooks that all paraticipating barangay submitted to the JCI indicated big leaps in management of the local government offices.

Barangay Captain Pedrito Angco of Calinan Poblacion, for instance, said that the barangay government “never exceeded in expenditure than what is allotted to us”. The barangay received P2 million in annual allocation.

Arquiza said that many participating barangays also tried to stay within the budget limit to avoid getting themselves into unwanted loans. He said that none of the barangays showed innovation though, in finding sources of funds for emergency expenses, which incidentally, were not also reflected in their declarations.

The scrapbooks on the fiscal management of the barangays were submitted to the Commission on Audit, which the JCI tapped in the search for outstanding barangays.

In the resolution of disputes, Barangay Captain Joel Santes of Matina Crossing, said that an average of only 10 percent to 15 percent “eventually get elevated to the courts in the 600 cases that were lodged before its Katarungang Pambarangay.

The law has mandated all cases to pass through the barangay justice system for mediation and reconciliation. The dispensation of barangay justice has been acknowledged to be the main contributor to the declogging of court cases.

Many cases were about physical injuries and oral defamation, and civil cases, Santes said.

Nominated barangays in the various categories received P10,000. Those which were nominated for the semi finals received P20,000. Barangay Matina Crossing, which bagged the top honors, received another P20,000.

EJ Lim, project manager, said that they would continue their annual search project and encourage the sectors to send their suggestion on improving the conduct of the search. The group has wanted to “highlight the importance of leadership excellence in the barangay level, encourage cooperation and pro-active participation by community members in addressing barangay issues and to recognize the various accomplishments in the barangays”.