Senator Manny Pacquaio filed a bill seeking to create a standard salary, allowance, and other benefits for barangay officials instead of monthly honoraria.
Under the Senate Bill No. 1956, the Punong Barangay, members of the Sangguniang Barangay, the Sangguniang Kabataan Chairperson, the Barangay Secretary, and Barangay Treasurer would be given fixed salaries as government employees.
The bill would mandate the Department of Budget and Management to establish a standardized position classification and compensation scheme for barangays. Pacquiao proposed the following salary grades:
- Salary Grade I (P15,000) – barangay appointive officials and other barangay personnel
- Salary Grade II (P25,000) – barangay elective officials in the Sangguniang Kabataan and Sangguniang Barangay
- Salary Grade III (P35,000) – Punong Barangay
Nonetheless, the bill said that “no barangay official or personnel shall suffer reduction, diminution or withdrawal of salaries and benefits already enjoyed by the barangay official or personnel concerned.”
Under the Sec. 393 of the Local Government Code, barangay officials “shall receive honoraria, allowances, and such other emoluments as may be authorized by law or Barangay, municipal or city ordinance in accordance with the provisions of this Code, but in no case shall it be less than P1,000 per month for the Punong Barangay and P600 per month for the Sangguniang Barangay members, Barangay Treasurer, and Barangay Secretary.”
Pacquiao files bill seeking standard salary for barangay officials
The bill also aims to give 13th-month pay, a Christmas bonus of P3,000, and other bonuses provided by law to the barangay officials.
A Special Risk Allowance amid the COVID-19 pandemic and in similar situations in the future would also be given to barangay officials.
Meanwhile, volunteer workers in barangays would also be entitled to compensation and benefits for their services.
In August, Sultan Kudarat 2nd District Rep. Horacio Suansing and his wife, Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Estrellita Suansing, filed a bill to provide regularization salary standardization of barangay officials.
“Barangay officials only received monthly honoraria instead of fixed monthly salaries. They are not entitled to the same employment benefits and privileges of other local government officials,” they said in their bill’s explanatory note.
“It is, therefore, necessary for the national government to provide for their regularisation and salary standardization that are commensurate with the role they perform in the delivery of social services,” they stressed.