Barangay’s crucial role in environmental protection
Atty. Gloria Estenzo-Ramos
Are you satisfied with how barangay officials are managing the affairs of your area? They represent the State as the basic political unit, as we should know.
Do they show concern that your rights to a good quality of life, good health and healthy environment are protected?
Do barangay leaders ensure the due implementation of national laws and ordinances in the sitios and puroks and welcome partnership with government agencies, private sector and civil society organizations in performing the mandates of their office?
Do they respect your right to participate and invite you in decision-making, especially on key issues of health, environment and livelihood?
Did they establish an active and functioning barangay development council, with representatives from non-government organizations and the private sector, as so required by RA 7160, the Local Government Code of 1991?
Or, are you among those who do not even know who they are and do not feel obliged to be part of barangay governance?
When the news of a plan hatched by a congressional lawmaker to move, for the third time, the barangay elections scheduled for May this year to 2019, did we hear a howl of protest?
The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections were scheduled on October 2016, then moved to October 2017 and rescheduled to May, this year.
Such a glaring state of uncertainty does not seem to bother the constituents. The silence or perhaps indifference by the public is indeed alarming.
I wonder what our friends from the Department of Interior and Local Government think about this condition of apparent public apathy.
The role of local government units, more specifically of barangays, in environmental governance is crucial. Under the Local Government Code, “Local government units shall share with the national government the responsibility in the management and maintenance of ecological balance within their territorial jurisdiction, subject to the provisions of this Code and national policies.”
This requires a lot of open mindedness, coordination and a collaborative mindset with other stakeholders, which some exemplary local authorities fortunately do have and have tremendously benefited inhabitants, especially in coastal barangays.
Barangays are the front liners in the delivery of essential services to their constituents. Under the Local Government Code, these services are, to mention a few, “Health and social welfare services which include maintenance of barangay health center and day-care center”; “Services and facilities related to general hygiene and sanitation, beautification, and solid waste collection”; “Maintenance of barangay roads and bridges and water supply systems” and “Information and reading center.”
The performance of these services should be in the high priority lists in the expenditures from the budget of local government units.
Under section 17 (g) of the Local Government Code, “… Any fund or resource available for the use of local government units shall be first allocated for the provision of basic services or facilities enumerated … before applying the same for other purposes, unless otherwise provided in this Code.”
Among the national laws which accord to the barangays specific duties in environmental and even disaster management are RA 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, and RA 101211, the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
Ecological and effective solid waste management and RA 9003’s successful implementation hinge to a great extent on the capacity and political will of the Punong Barangay and officials in assuming the responsibility of managing biodegradable and recyclable materials with the academe, civil society, business sector, local government units and national agencies as partners.
In Cebu City, we had Barangay Luz as a model of participatory environment management and garnered the 2009 Galing Pook Award with its program in turning cash into trash. It partnered with Ayala to support its program.
I hope this has been sustained, despite changes in the administration.
Under RA 101211, the barangay is likewise responsible for disaster risk reduction and management as a service to be delivered to the constituents. A Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee (BDRRMC) is required to be established “in every ·barangay which shall be responsible for setting the direction, development, implementation and coordination of disaster risk management programs within their territorial jurisdiction.”
Do each barangay in all the cities and municipalities and the province of Cebu have a functioning BDRRMC? Supervising local government units and the residents should ensure that lives are not put in harm’s way by requiring regular meetings, activities and reporting from the BDRMMC.
In a highly vulnerable country like the Philippines, solid waste management and disaster risk reduction and management go hand-in-hand.
There is a barangay in Malabon, long known to be a flood-prone area, that has, by sheer political will and a collaborative approach, made a difference in the lives of the people.
I am referring to Barangay Potrero under the dynamic leadership of Kapitana Sheryl Nolasco and fellow eco-warriors who have been working with the Mother Earth Foundation and CSOs in transforming the barangay.
It has garnered several awards because “it was able to achieve 95 percent compliance with the law by implementing door-to-door and “no segregation, no collection” policies.”
https://beta.philstar.com/metro/2016/07/05/1599569/malabon-barangay-wins-mmda-award
The feat has brought so much pride among the people and it is definitely replicable nationwide.
Having change agents and leaders at the barangay level who can inspire and motivate our people to do their share and care for our environment is essential.
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