Monday, July 21, 2008 Valdehuesa: What Makes the Barangay Special? By Manuel Valdehuesa Street Talk
THE barangay government is a sui generis, a class of its own. Its mode of governance is unlike that of the municipal or higher levels of government. But it's a measure of how poorly informed Filipinos are that today, almost a generation since the Local Government Code became law, hardly anyone knows how the barangay is governed and why it is impossible to have good governance unless people perform their formal role in it.
They don't know, for instance, that the barangay has a parliamentary system that the principle of separation-of-powers, which characterizes a presidential system, does not apply here. They don't know that a barangay chairman is a little prime minister, not the little president or little commander-in-chief that he likes to style himself as. Nor do they recognize the Barangay Assembly as a little parliament with powers of recall, initiative and referendum. They also don't know that everyone except children is a member of this little but powerful parliament - so powerful that it can remove and replace unwanted officials simply for loss of confidence.
Not least, they don't know that because this legislative governing body has an all-inclusive membership, it exemplifies direct democracy just like Switzerland's canton or Israel's kibbutz. Athenian-style democracy. Neither do they know that the barangay is a corporation, that its sanggunian is the board of directors overseeing operations when the stockholders (barangueños) are not in session, or that its acts are subject to ratification by the stockholders, who must meet at least twice yearly.
This knowledge gap has kept Filipinos from knowing that this is the level of government where they, as sovereign citizens, have an official and direct role in the governing process. It is here where they can propose measures for good governance, raise issues, sponsor petitions, pass resolutions, move to condemn corruption or commend good performance, or debate any issue. Failing to appreciate the value of activating this local parliament, they deprive themselves of the venue and the process for deliberating on issues that concern them and then acting as a community to resolve them.
This failure at the base of the republic has made its foundation unstable. Unable to confront or resolve issues, its basic units are readily manipulated by demagogues and dominated by traditional politicians. Since national consensus or political will can only arise from the resolve of its communities, it is no surprise that there is no national consensus on any issue.
Until and unless barangueños learn to convene and deliberate as the parliament and constituent assembly of the community, they remain helpless -- mere bystanders and spectators to the governing process, with no voice or influence, and no way to compel good governance at any level.
The trapos of course want it to stay that way so they can continue to govern without transparency or accountability. Public apathy or failure of citizen participation is their idea of happiness.
As with Congress or any parliamentary body, this Barangay Assembly cannot do business or act officially unless it is in session. And here lies the root of our chronic inability to establish good government. Because of our failure to convene -- thus to assert our power -- we devalue the constitutional principle that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them. We confine sovereignty to the mere act of casting a vote -- one that may not even be counted and often is manipulated. And we surrender government to proxies who think our vote bestows them license to abuse and misuse the power we delegate to them.
When no one can speak out in a forum created by law for the purpose, everyone is disenfranchised. A passionate patriot perforce has to take the extra-judicial, extra-constitutional route, which leads him either to the street (as in "street parliament") or to the hills (as in armed rebellion).
It was the desire for an assertive brand of sovereignty in 19th century America that led activist Henry David Thoreau to cry out: "Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward attaining it!"
Unless the barangaynon is afforded the chance to make known what kind of government would command his respect, there is no way we can attain the kind of government we claim to want, whether for our barangay or for our nation.
Direct democracy with a parliamentary form of government is what makes the barangay special. Anyone who disagrees may check this out with Vic Calejesan or Fred Gapuz!
A former UN executive and vice chairman of the Local Government Academy, Manny heads the Gising Barangay Movement. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: valdeman_esq@yahoo.com
