Jesse’s and Mar’s failure

MOST Filipinos today are either unaware of the role they’re supposed to play in governing their own community, or they just don’t bother with it.

Thus the way the government of their own community exercises its powers and privileges is practically beyond their control, awareness, or influence.

It’s all because of their non-participation in its government; and also because they are not encouraged to participate in its governing processes. They are not engaged.

Getting them interested and involved is supposed to be the principal mission of the department of the interior and local government (DILG), so that our democracy will have a real government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
••
But it is unclear how the late Secretary Jesse Robredo, or even Secretary Mar Roxas, undertook to awaken and empower the people to take charge of their community.

Unless people are motivated and convinced of the seriousness or importance of their role in governance, they cannot really be expected to show interest or get involved.

And without knowledge of what’s really going on, the substance and process of local governance becomes purely a matter of discretion, even whimsy, on the part of the people in office.

This is very true of what’s happening in the barangays. The quality of governance in them leaves much to be desired. The officials may pay lip tribute to the people by calling them their “BOSS” but in fact, they blithely manipulate the people and the community’s resources.
••
This oligarchic control of government at community level is evident in the barangay’s budget process—which is arrogated by the Chairman and the Sangguniang Barangay with little or no inputs from the people. There is little or no concern for transparency and accountability in administering it either.

Despite the requirement that financial activities and decisions are subject to approval or disapproval by the people, no such motion is made, not even during the Barangay Assembly which is the all inclusive gathering of the community.

In between the Assemblies, other accountability reports are required to be furnished to all residents but it is not done. And no one in the DILG—or even in seminars at the Local Government Academy in Los Banos—explains that the barangay is a public corporation, with the residents as its stockholders, and that as such the officials are duty bound to issue up-to-date reports to them, just as stockholders of a business corporation are entitled.

It is this sort of knowledge of the tasks of government that can motivate constituents to be attentive and be involved.

(Author of books on governance, Manny Valdehuesa is national chairman and convenor of Gising Barangay Movement Inc.. E-mail: valdehuesa@gmail.com)