DILG presses barangay amalgamation in Baguio City
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) reminded Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong to work on the unfinished barangay amalgamation or merging of barangays.
“We have been flagged by the DILG on the barangay amalgamation project and we need to comply otherwise we will be in violation of certain provisions of the local government code,” the mayor said.
Under the barangay amalgamation, the city will reduce the number of barangays from 128 to 44 barangays, more or less, by merging adjoining barangays. Barangays merged should be divided into puroks and each purok will have a representation in the barangay council as kagawads in accordance to Section 386 of the Local Government Code.
Barangay amalgamation is also seen as a tool to improve local governance and to professionalize the salaries of barangay officials.
The mayor is already coordinating with the members of the city council for the appropriate legislation needed to support this move.
The planned merger has been stalled for several years since 2003 but the DILG is pressing for its realization to empower barangays governance in terms of fiscal status with more funding for the barangays.
In the 2003 proposed composition of the new barangays, the following barangays are set to be merged: Mines View Park, Lualhati, Pucsusan, Outlook Drive and Lucnab as one; Country Club and Happy Hallow; Cabinet Hill-T. Camp, Engineer’s Hill, Marcoville, DPS Compound, South Drive; Pacdal and St. Joseph Village; Military Cut-Off, St. Scholastica Village and Greenwater; BGH Compound, Phil-Am Compound, Sto. Rosario Valley, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos; Lower Gen. Luna, Kagitingan, Kabayanihan, Upper Magsaysay, Malcolm Square, Session-Gov. Pack, Harrison-Carantes; Rizal Monument, AZCKO, Burnham-Legarda and Kayang-Hilltop.
Gibraltar will be on its own as well as Upper Irisan, Lower Irisan, Fairview, Pinget, Asin Road and Camp 7 while Middle, East, West and Lower Quirino Hill will be merged as one. Also to be merged are: Camdas Subd. and Dizon Subd.; Honeymoon-HolyGhost, HolyGhost Ext., Imelda Village and M. Roxas; Holyghost Proper, Salud Mitra and Upper Gen. Luna; Sto. Nino-Slaughter, Lower Magsaysay, Magsaysay Private Road; New Lucban, ABCR and T. Alonzo.
North and South Central Aurora Hill, East Bayan Park and Brookspoint as one; Ambiong, Bayan Park Village, West Bayan Park, San Antonio, Lopez Jaena; Aurora Hill Proper, East Modernsite, West Modernsite and Brookside; Trancoville and Tabora; South and North Sanitary Camp, Happy Homes-Old Lucban; Lower Lourdes, Lourdes Subd. Proper, Dominican-Mirador; San Roque Village and San Luis Village; Upper Quezon Hill, Quezon Hill Proper, Victoria Village, Middle Quezon Hill; Pinsao Proper and Pinsao Pilot Project; P. Burgos, P. Zamora, Camp Allen and Upper Market Subd.
Upper QM and GEFA (Lower QM); Palma-Urbano, City Camp Central and City Camp Proper; MRR-Queen of Peace, Lourdes Subd. Ext. and Kayang Ext.; Upper, Middle and Lower Rock Quarry; Dontogan and Sto. Tomas School Area; Sto. Tomas Central and Bakakeng Central; Scout Barrio, Upper and Lower Dagsian, Hillside and Gabriela Silang; Loakan-Apugan, Proper and Liwanag and Atok Trail; Kias and PMA-Fort Del Pilar; Balsigan, San Vicente, Puliwes and Camp 8; Bakakeng Norte and Sur and SLU-SVP; Guisad Central and Surong; and, Cresencia Village, Campo Filipino and Andres Bonifacio.
As to the remuneration, it was proposed that the punong barangay will receive a salary equivalent to Salary Grade 14 and Salary Grade 10 for the barangay kagawads, barangay secretary and barangay treasurer and all those that are provided for under RA 7160 and such other emoluments as may be authorized by the law and city or barangay ordinances in accordance with the provision of the Local Government Code.
It was also proposed that barangay boundaries be determined by natural borders such as roads, rivers, creeks, among others. – Jessa Mardy P. Samidan
