Does Batangas City need to be 105 Barangays?

(Tagalog version below)

The 2017 election for the Barangay is coming this October 23,  2017 that was supposedly held last October 31, 2016 [source: comelec]
 
Barangay is the smallest of the Local Government Units which can be further subdivided into sitios and puroks but those divisions do not have leaders elected in formal elections supervised by the national government. A barangay Executive is the Punong Barangay or Captain and it's legislature is Sanguniaang Barangay composed of Barangay captain and Barangay Kagawad and the SK chairman. [1]



As the basic political unit, the Barangay serves as the primary planning and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs, projects, and activities in the community, and as a forum wherein the collective views of the people may be expressed, crystallized and considered, and where disputes may be amicably settled. [2]


Do we need 105 Barangays in Batangas City?

Batangas City composed of 105 Barangays which twenty four of them are in the Poblacion. Batangas province alone is composed of 1,078 barangays, next only to Quezon Province in region IV-A cluster of provinces.




There are about two dependent persons in every voter in the city which was based on the 2015 national census data of Batangas City Population which amounts to 329,874 people (of which 147,363 are voters). A ratio of 2.25:1.

LGU Code states:

Sec 385. Barangay may be created, divided, merged, abolished, or its boundary substantially altered, by law or by an ordinance of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan or Sangguniang Panlungsod, subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite to be conducted by the Comelec in the local government unit or units directly affected within such period of time as may be determined by the law or ordinance creating said Barangay. In the case of the creation of Barangays by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the recommendation of the Sangguniang Bayan concerned shall be necessary. [3]

Sec 386 A Barangay maybe created out of a contiguous territory which has a population of at least two thousand (2,000) inhabitants as certified by the National Statistics Office except in cities and municipalities within Metro Manila and other metropolitan political subdivisions or in highly urbanized cities where such territory shall have a certified population of at least five thousand(5,000) inhabitants: Provided, That the creation thereof shall not reduce the population of the original Barangay or Barangays to less than the minimum requirement prescribed herein.

I gathered the data from the last May 2016 election results and tabulated it below. I ranked it based on the numbers of voters in that particular barangay.
As you can see on the table I provided, there are areas where there are a lot of people/voters like the Santa Rita Karsada which has 7,081 voters and Alangilan which has 5,760 voters; which equates only to one barangay captain each. Compared to Barangay 15 which has 149 voters with also one barangay captain.
Thus by just doing the ratio of the captain to the voters, it is unfair to the other constituents of the city.

If we further examine the table below, I highlighted some barangays in poblacion that has low vote counts. These are Barangays 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 22. These Barangays can be then combined if contiguous just like barangay 2&3, 8&9, 16 & 17, etc...

Based on the LGU code of creating a barangay, a creation of it requires a population of atleast 2,000. if we use the numbers of voters to the ratio of population which is 2.25:1 , we can assume that the population on those barangays I mentioned only amount to at most 915 people - which is less than the required population to be a barangay.


Services and the supposedly the role of the barangay captain to his contituents which includes serves as the primary planning and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs, projects, and activities in the community; are suffering. This primary function and intent of the law creating the barangays as the smallest political subdivision is on the brink of collapsing because of the inequality and weight to represent each person to express, crystallize and considered is in jeopardy. Now it is the time to re-balance. It's time to hear the neglected.


I am calling all the Sangguniang Panglungsod to initiate and further study the proposed re-evaluation of the barangay limits within it's jurisdiction for the betterment of the whole Batangas City populace - not just a few lucky ones who has the same budget but lesser constituents. It's time to revisit the boundaries.

Source: comelec

Based on the last 2016 National Election

Ang Batangas City ay binubuo ng 105 na barangay, 24 dito ay nasa poblacion. Ang probinsya ng Batangas mismo ay binubuo ng 1,078 barangay, pangalawa laang sa probinsya ng quezon sa region padamihan ng barangay sa buong cluster ng region IV-A.

Ayon sa istatistika nuong 2015 census, ang Batangas City ay may populasyon na 329,874 ( 147,363 duon ay mga botante) sa makatwid, 2.25:1 ang ratio.

Ang 2017 Barangay eleksyon ay gaganapin sa october 23, 2017, na sana ay ginanap nuong nakaraang October 31, 2016

Ang Barangay ay ang pinakamaliit na yunit ng Lokal Government na pwede pang hatiin sa sitio at purok, ngunit ang mga iyon ay walang leader na pormal na inihalal ng tao na may patnubay ng national government. Ang punong ehekutibo ay and Punong Barangay o Kapitan at taga gawa ng batas ay ang Sangguniang Barangay na kinabibilangan ng Kapitan, Kagawad, at ng SK Chairman.

Bilang isang pulitikal na yunit, ang pangunahing tungkulin ng barangay ay ang pagplano at pagpapatupad ng polisiya ng gobyerno, plano, programa, proyekto, at aktibidad ng kumunidad, at nagsisilbing palitan ng kuro kuro at iba pang pangkalahatang idea ng mga tao ay maiparating, magawa, at mai kunsidera, at kung saan ang mga alitan ay mapayapang masolusyunan.

Nakuha ko ang data mula sa huling Mayo 2016 mga resulta ng halalan at tabulated ito sa ibaba. niraranggo ko ito batay sa mga numero ng mga botante sa mga partikular na barangay.Tulad ng iyong nakikita sa table, may mga lugar kung saan may mga maraming tao / botante tulad ng Santa Rita Karsada na may 7081 mga botante at Alangilan na may 5760 mga botante; na may isang barangay captain sa bawat isa. Kung ikukumpara sa Barangay 15 kung saan ay may 149 botante na may isa  ring barangay kapitan.Kaya sa pamamagitan lamang ng ratio ng kapitan sa mga botante, ito ay hindi makatarungan sa iba pang mga constituents sa bayan.Kung higit pang suriin ang mga talahanayan sa ibaba, naka-highlight  ilang mga barangay sa poblacion na may mababang bilang ng boto. Ang mga ito ay Barangay 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 at 22. Ang mga Barangay ay maaaring pagsamahin kung magkadikit katulad ng barangay 2 & 3, 8 & 9, 16 & 17, etc ...Batay sa mga LGU code ng paglikha ng isang barangay, isang paglikha ng mga ito ay nangangailangan ng isang populasyon na atleast 2,000. kung gagamitin natin ang mga numero ng mga botante sa ratio ng populasyon na kung saan ay 2.25: 1, maaari naming ipagpalagay na ang populasyon sa mga barangay ng nabanggit ko ay hindi hihigit sa 915 mga tao - na kung saan ay mas mababa kaysa sa kinakailangang populasyon para maging isang barangay.Serbisyo at papel ng barangay captain sa kanyang contituents na kinabibilangan naglilingkod bilang pangunahing pagpaplano at pagpapatupad ng yunit ng mga patakaran ng pamahalaan, mga plano, programa, proyekto, at mga gawain sa komunidad; ay napapariwara. Ito pangunahing function at layunin ng batas paglikha ng barangay bilang pinakamaliit  na subdibisyon pampulitika ay nasa bingit ng pagbagsak. Dahil sa hindi pagkakapareho ng bigat ng kumatawan sa bawat tao upang ipahayag, gawing kristal at i konsidera ay nasa panganib. Ngayon ito ay ang oras upang muling balanse. Panahon na upang marinig ang napapabayaan.

Aking tatawagin ang lahat ng Sangguniang Panglungsod upang simulan at karagdagang pag-aralan ang ipinanukalang muling pagsusuri ng mga limit ng barangay sa loob ng nasasakupan para sa ikabubuti ng buong mamamayan sa Batangas City  - hindi lamang ng ilang mga masuwerteng mga bago kung sino ang may ang parehong badyet ngunit higit na maliit constituents.