Batac dads propose service award, monetary incentives for 'graduating' barangay execs

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff reporter

Batac City—Batac Vice Mayor Ronald Allan M. Nalupta and councilors Winet Quidang and Ibarra Crisostomo proposed an ordinance that would give monetary incentives to barangay officials who will be given the Exemplary Public Service Award (EPSA) for serving three consecutive terms.

The measure, also co-authored by the council’s committee on barangay affairs, will amend Section 2 of city ordinance No. 03 series of 2009 otherwise known as an “Ordinance authorizing the conferment of Exemplary Public Service Award (EPSA) to elective barangay officials of the city of Batac who have been elected three consecutive terms in the same position”.

The proposed amended ordinance, the authors said, would express their appreciation to barangay officials who have served their respective constituents for nine years and would give them monetary incentives aside from the plaques of appreciation.

Mr. Nalupta however stressed that the proposal would depend on the availability of funds.

He explained that the proposed amendment would give awardees P40,000 for barangay chairpersons and P25,000 for barangay kagawad.

“Provided that the necessary and incidental expenses needed to implement the provisions of this shall be appropriated and included in the executive budget for the year when any Barangay Official is qualified for the award,” the proposed amendment said.

The amount indicated in the proposed ordinance, Mr. Nalupta added, is the minimum incentives and he is open to any suggestions from the city council.

The implementation of the proposed ordinance will take effect for 2016 in case it will be passed and approved by the mayor this year and will be included in annual budget next year.

Reacting to this, former city councilor and the original author of the ordinance Bismark Quidang said he welcomes the proposed amendment.

Mr. Quidang said the proposed amendment would be a favorable one because there is no cash incentives being given to barangay officials who “graduated” in their nine years of public service.

He added that this is unlike elected municipal and city officials who receives their terminal leave pay upon completion of their three terms in the same position because of the employer-employee relationship.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod records shows that about 12 barangays chairpersons and 70 barangay kagawads will complete their third consecutive term next year and thus would be qualified for the new ordinance.

Mr. Quidang hopes the measure will be approved to give cash incentives to barangay officials who served and devoted their time and effort to their respective barangays for nine years.

He stressed that the amount intended for them would only be a very small portion in the annual budget for the city.

In a random interview with the barangay officials who will be benefitted in case this will be approved, they expressed their thanks and appreciation to the authors and all the city councilors who would support the measure.

Mr. Quidang believes that this is also one way for the first- and second-termers to do their assigned tasks better as this will become their challenge to reach the third term for them to be able to receive monetary incentives upon completion of a third straight term.