Diño bats for Magna Carta of brgy officials

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño vowed to work out for a Magna Carta for barangay officials.

Diño said he will intercede for the filing of a bill seeking for the regularization of barangay officials including barangay secretary, treasurer, health workers, tanods and nutrition scholars as regular employees of government.

“You are the frontline government officials performing duties and functions 24/7 and acting on every issues and concern that needs to be resolved; yet here you are not properly compensated for all those services and your sacrifices,” he told barangay officials of the province.

Under his proposal, barangay officials will have fixed salaries, allowances, insurance, retirement benefits and other fringe benefits which regular government employees are entitled to

Around six million barangay officials will benefit from this measure if acted by Congress, he said.

The first bill filed for this purpose was introduced by former Senator Nene Pimentel during the 14th Congress but it did not prosper.

Diño also announced that he will ask for another one year extension of incumbent barangay officials who are serving their term for only two years until 2022, as expressed gratitude to Pres. Duterte for providing assistance to the barangays.

To reciprocate the national government’s support to the grassroots workforce, he called on barangay officials to help implement Pres. Duterte’s fight against illegal drugs, corruption, violent extremism, and criminality which he described as the “cancer of society” and the “cause of all evils” besetting our goal for peace and progress. He also rallied village leaders to campaign for federalism.

Dino was here last Sunday (Oct. 14) as guest speaker during the Barangay Assembly Day at Naneng, this city and Federalism Summit for the Association of Barangay Chairmen at the Tabuk City People’s gym.

The Saturdays and

Sundays of March and October of ever year are declared as Barangay Assembly Days as provided under Proclamation No 599 issued on October 9, 2018. This amends Proclamation No. 342(s. 2003) declaring the last Saturday of March and the third Saturday of October as Barangay Assembly Days.