Down to the grassroots
BALANGA City has a flagship program. It is the “barangay week”: Its concept is simple, i.e., bring the city administration down to the barangay level. For one whole week a barangay becomes the venue for the city government: All city government services are brought down to that specific barangay during that specific week. The city mayor makes his presence felt; so does the city council. Very naturally, the different departments of City Hall then give focus to that barangay for the week of the year when it becomes the focus barangay.
It helps that Balanga has only 25 component barangays. This means that each month, by making two barangays the focus of a week-long visit by the city officials, the city mayor and other city officials can cover all 25 barangays in one year. This sends a very clear signal: No barangay is ever forgotten; and every barangay is given a chance to engage in close consultation with the city mayor and other top city officials at least once a year. The sense of being very much a part of the attention and concern of the city administration enables the barangay officials and residents to more easily identify with the plans and long-term strategic priorities of the city.
Of greater short-term importance: Much closer coordination between the city as a whole and its component barangays is forged. Such city strategic initiative as “no smoking zones” gets to be cascaded down, and implemented in every barangay. It is no wonder that the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Institute “has recognized the city’s commitment to a healthy and productive environment for Tobacco Control” and the city mayor was given the Award of Excellence in Tobacco Control Leadership. The award was accepted in behalf of the entire city, and with special thanks to all the component barangays!
For the barangay leaders and residents, good public governance, therefore, has a very identifiable face and content, which they easily see and touch. For them it means: More accessible city services; closer contact and more direct communication with city officials, generally headed by the city mayor (whom they see within their environs at least for one week during the year); and a better understanding of where the city is going and of what it is trying to become in the foreseeable future.
On such a base, the city can now bring governance, its principles and practices, adapted to the peculiar conditions and situation of each of the component barangays:
— The need for linking the city’s vision with the governance of the barangay. Since each barangay now feels very much part of the city, each one should aim to carve out their specific niche, by which they can contribute towards the realization of the city’s vision. The experience of City Hall officers and employees can be shared as governance principles and practices get to be adapted to the level of each barangay. This is a lot of “missionary work,” but it is one that promises enormous long-term results.
— The systematic pursuit of the barangay micro-business enterprise development program as called for under the BMBE Act of 2002. This has to be supported by the DOST Tech4Ed program. In every barangay, at least a few micro-enterprises can be nurtured, with technical and other type of assistance which the city can help arrange for and provide. This is very much in line with the “education and employment” umbrella theme of the governance program of the city.
— The physical master plan for the central part of the city would now need to be complemented by an environmental and heritage conservation program for each one of the city’s barangays. At the barangay level so much can be accomplished with small initiatives but under the proper oversight and close coordination of the city mayor and of the city as a whole to make the natural and social environment within the barangay much cleaner and more conducive to a healthy and productive lifestyle. The “green committee” of the United Architects of the Philippines can be co- opted to enable the City of Balanga launch this natureresource-enhancement program for all its component barangays.
Since the city has undertaken its “barangay week” as its flagship program for several years now, and since so much goodwill has been created through this program, Balanga can now move forward and bring good governance – with smart adaptation – down to each of its component barangays.