Press Release
January 5, 2016

Marcos Backs Calls for Extension of Term of Barangay Officials

Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. backed calls of barangay officials to extend their term from the current three years to five years.

Speaking before barangay officials and workers in Rodriguez, Rizal, Marcos, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government noted the continuing clamor of barangay officials for a longer term.

In the 15th Congress Marcos filed a bill seeking the extension of term of barangay officials but it failed to pass.

"Initially, the DILG agreed to a 5-year term with re-election for barangay officials but later Malacanang said it will not support any move to change the term of barangay officials, so the process stopped there," Marcos said.

Despite this Marcos said he supports on-going moves in the Senate and the House of Representatives to push for at least a postponement of the barangay elections in October next year to give Congress time to study proposals for term extension.

He said the three-year term is quite short for barangay officials to effectively implement their programs in their respective areas.

In filing the bill for term extension of barangay officials, Marcos noted that this would also enable the Commission on Elections to save at least P16 billion from the term extension.

"For every barangay elections the government spends around P8 billion so that in a fifteen-year period when only three elections are held under a five-year term instead of five, the government will save around P16 billion which can be used for other social services," he said.

Marcos is also the author of the approved bill that gives retirement benefits to barangay officials. Senate Bill No. 12 provides a retirement pay of P100,000 for each qualified Barangay Chairman, P80,000 for each member of the Sangguniang Barangay and P50,000 each for Barangay Treasurer and Secretary, Barangay Tanod, member of the Lupon Tagapamayapa and Barangay Health and Day Care Workers.

To be qualified for the benefits, a Barangay Official or Worker must be at least 60 years old and with at least nine years of service. Some 95,616 Barangay Officials and Workers are qualified to receive the benefit as on June 2013, according to the National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO).

The approved bill has been submitted to Malacañang and is awaiting the signature of the President to become a law.

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