Speaker Faustino Dy III has vowed to champion the passage of a long-overdue Magna Carta for Barangays, a measure that seeks to grant barangay officials full recognition, dignity, and compensation as regular government employees rather than mere volunteers.
Speaking before over 2,000 barangay leaders during the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas National Congress at the World Trade Center in Pasay City on Tuesday, Dy reaffirmed his commitment to push for the landmark bill.
“Muli ko pong gustong sabihin sa inyo na amin pong ipaglalaban ang Magna Carta para sa ating mga barangay,” Dy said, drawing applause from local officials.
A former barangay official himself, Dy authored House Bill No. 3533, which aims to institutionalize the Magna Carta for Barangays and provide officials with fixed salaries, full benefits, and retirement security. The bill is among the eight legislative priorities of the House of Representatives and is currently pending before the Committee on Local Government.
Dy emphasized that barangay officials carry the heaviest burdens of public service — responding to emergencies, mediating disputes, and implementing national and local programs with limited resources.
He lamented that despite their vital role, many barangay leaders continue to receive only allowances instead of regular pay.
“Hanggang ngayon, hindi po natin matawag kung ano ba talaga ang kalagayan ninyo sa ating gobyerno,” he said.
Under HB 3533, the Punong Barangay will receive a salary equivalent to that of a Sangguniang Bayan member, while Barangay Kagawads will earn 80 percent of that rate. Barangay Secretaries and Treasurers will receive 75 percent. Local governments will be given six months from enactment to identify funding sources and implement the new salary scheme.
Beyond compensation, the measure includes provisions to ensure basic services, fiscal autonomy, and economic empowerment at the grassroots level — including automatic release of each barangay’s tax share, mandatory access to clean water, local scholarship grants, and priority employment for residents in public projects.
If enacted, Dy said, the Magna Carta for Barangays would mark the most comprehensive reform in local governance since the 1991 Local Government Code, finally recognizing barangay officials as essential pillars of government service.