Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Speak out: In pursuit of good governance By Alvin Dizon Center for Participatory Governance
WITH less than a week to go until the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, it is important to point out that barangays under accountable, progressive and responsive leaders can bring out the best in local communities.
The enactment of Republic Act (RA) 7160 of the Local Government Code was regarded as one lasting legacy that the Edsa Revolution left behind, in terms of actualizing people empowerment, especially at the barangay level.
Under the law, some 49,000 barangays were given direct role in the governance of the community. It provided them with some degree of fiscal, administrative and political autonomy so they would become self-reliant communities and effective partners in national development.
The first barangay elections under RA 7160 were held in 1994.
The barangay, as a basic political and socio-economic unit, can become an important arena for the empowerment, autonomy and self-sufficiency of communities. If tapped properly and developed at its fullest, the barangay —with its power to generate its own sources of revenues — can finance and sustain its own development without begging for support from traditional politicians.
The candidates in the upcoming barangay and SK polls should realize that they have in their hands the instrument for social transformation of their respective communities.
Together, let us make our barangays more accessible, genuinely accountable and truly responsive by electing people who have the commitment, the knowledge, the skills and the experience to be at the forefront of good governance.
