Barangay officials suspended over assembly date switch

ANGONO, RIZAL- A barangay chairwoman and six barangay councilmen (kagawad) are now serving a 60- day suspension ordered by the Sangguniang Bayan of the town for their non-compliance with a Department of the Interior and Local Government circular on the holding of a barangay assembly on the specified date.

Suspended for 60 days without pay effective December 4, 2017 are Barangay San Isidro chairwoman Elena Calderon and all her the barangay councilmen, except Edgar Tamayo.

Tamayo immediately took over as officer-in charge of the barangay following the suspension of the village officials.

The suspension was based on Sangguniang Bayan Decision on Administrative Case No. 17-014 regarding the complaint filed by several concerned residents of Barangay San Isidro against the barangay officials' alleged failure to comply with the DILG issuance on the holding of the barangay assembly on the date as prescribed by law.

The complaint filed against the village officials stemmed from the barangay’s holding of the Barangay Assembly on March 15 instead of March 25, contrary to Presidential Proclamation No. 260-2011 and DILG Circular No. 2017-31 that call for the holding of the assembly on the last Saturday of March.

The Sangguniang Bayan decision also took cognizance of the complainants’ claim that the barangay office reportedly failed to give advance notice on the change of the date of the barangay assembly aside from not issuing formal invitations to the homeowners and not posting public announcements on the change of schedule of the DILG-sanctioned gathering of village residents.