Misplaced Pages

#588411

56-811: The Special Geographic Area ( SGA ) is a loose collection of 63 barangays in six municipalities of the province of Cotabato in the Philippines . It is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao , despite the province of Cotabato itself being part of a separate neighboring region, Soccsksargen . These barangays were partitioned from Soccsksargen following  a two-part plebiscite held in January and February 2019 that formed Bangsamoro after residents of said barangays consented to their localities' inclusion in

112-481: A resettlement policy called reductions , smaller, scattered barangays were consolidated (and thus "reduced") to form compact towns. Each barangay was headed by the cabeza de barangay (barangay chief), who formed part of the principalía , the elite ruling class of the municipalities of the Spanish Philippines. This position was inherited from the first datus and came to be known as such during

168-483: A Development Coordinating Office (DCO) led by an administrator and eight area coordinators to manage affairs in the 63 barangays in Cotabato. Mohammad Kelie Antao was appointed administrator on June 30, 2020. Jimmy Adil, Jabib Guiabar, Esmael Maguid, Duma Mascud, Ibrahim Rahman, Abdulatip Tiago, and Nayang Timan were appointed as area coordinators on the same date. A second ceremony was held on December 15, 2020, to mark

224-475: A certain type of traditional boat in many languages in the Philippines. Early Spanish dictionaries of Philippine languages make it clear that balangay was pronounced "ba-la-ngay", while today the modern barangay is pronounced "ba-rang-gay". The term referred to the people serving under a particular chief rather than to the modern meaning of an area of land, for which other words were used. While barangay

280-409: A cluster of houses for organizational purposes, and sitios , which are territorial enclaves —usually rural —far from the barangay center. As of July 2024 , there are 42,004 barangays throughout the country. When the first Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in the 16th century, they found well-organized, independent villages called barangays . The name barangay originated from balangay ,

336-522: A tie. Regularly elected members are elected from Sangguniang Panlalawigan districts. The total number of SP members to be elected within the province, and the number within each SP district, varies depending on several factors, including the province's income class and the population count within districts. Ex officio members in the Sanggunian include: Reserved seats in the Sanggunian include: The Local Government Code of 1991 also provides for

392-579: A type of boat used by a group of Austronesian peoples when they migrated to the Philippines. All municipalities and cities in the Philippines are politically subdivided into barangays, with the exception of the municipalities of Adams in Ilocos Norte and Kalayaan in Palawan , each containing a single barangay. Barangays are sometimes informally subdivided into smaller areas called purok (English: " zone " ), or barangay zones consisting of

448-534: Is a Tagalog word, it spread throughout the Philippines as Spanish rule concentrated power in Manila. All citations regarding pre-colonial barangays lead to a single source, Juan de Plascencia's 1589 report Las costumbres de los indios Tagalos de Filipinas . However, historian Damon Woods challenges the concept of a barangay as an indigenous political organization primarily due to a lack of linguistic evidence. Based on indigenous language documents, Tagalogs did not use

504-504: Is based on the income of the province as classified by the Department of Finance . The Commission on Elections issues resolutions allocating the number of regular members of the Sanggunian a province may elect should a province's income classification change. First-class and second-class provinces are entitled to 10 regularly elected members, 8 for third- and fourth-class provinces and 6 for fifth- and sixth-class provinces. Exceptions to

560-793: Is because most of the people were relying on fishing for their supply of protein and their livelihood. They also traveled mostly by water, up and down rivers and along the coasts. Trails always followed river systems, which were also a major source of water for bathing, washing, and drinking. The coastal barangays were more accessible to trade with foreigners. These were ideal places for economic activity to develop. Business with traders from other countries also meant contact with other cultures and civilizations, such as those of Japan , Han Chinese , Indians , and Arabs . These coastal communities acquired more cosmopolitan cultures with developed social structures (sovereign principalities), ruled by established royalties and nobilities. During Spanish rule , through

616-609: Is sometimes stopped and continued, In the absence of an SK, the council votes for a nominated Barangay Council president, and this president is not like the League of the Barangay Councilors, which is composed of barangay captains of a municipality. The Barangay Justice System, or Katarungang Pambarangay , is composed of members commonly known as the Lupon Tagapamayapa ( justice of the peace ). Their function

SECTION 10

#1732798154589

672-551: Is tasked in general to "enact ordinances, approve resolutions and appropriate funds for the general welfare of the province and its inhabitants... in the proper exercise of the corporate powers of the province." Its powers, duties and functions are outlined into five broad mandates: The Sangguniang Panlalawigan is composed of regularly elected members, ex officio members , and members representing reserved seats for certain sectors. The provincial vice-governor serves as its presiding officer, who does not vote except in cases to break

728-469: Is to conciliate and mediate disputes at the barangay level to avoid legal action and relieve the courts of docket congestion. Barangay elections are non-partisan and are typically hotly contested. Barangay captains are elected by first-past-the-post plurality (no runoff voting ). Councilors are elected by plurality-at-large voting , with the entire barangay as a single at-large district. Each voter can vote for up to seven candidates for councilor, with

784-651: The 2019 Philippine general election . The barangays could be reorganized into one or more municipalities or merged with any of the neighboring municipalities in Maguindanao. The full transfer of jurisdiction of the Cotabato barangays to the Bangsamoro autonomous government was ordered by Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Eduardo Año following a meeting with Bangsamoro Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim on July 8, 2019. These barangays were still not under

840-828: The Cagayan River were flourishing trading centers. Some of these barangays had large populations. In Panay, some barangays had 20,000 inhabitants; in Leyte (Baybay), 15,000 inhabitants; in Cebu, 3,500 residents; in Vitis (Pampanga), 7,000 inhabitants; and in Pangasinan, 4,000 residents. There were smaller barangays with fewer people, but these were generally inland communities, or if they were coastal, they were not located in areas that were good for business pursuits. These smaller barangays had around thirty to one hundred houses only, and

896-617: The People Power Revolution , though older people would still use the term barrio . The Municipal Council was abolished upon the transfer of powers to the barangay system. Marcos used to call the barangay part of Philippine participatory democracy, and most of his writings involving the New Society praised the role of baranganic democracy in nation-building. After the People Power Revolution and

952-479: The 1987 Constitution and the Local Government Code of 1991. However, unlike the old Provincial Boards or the pre-1992 Sanggunian, which included in their memberships provincial executives, under current laws the governor is not considered as a Sanggunian member (although the governor retains the power to veto SP legislation, which can still be overridden by a two-thirds vote of all voting members), and

1008-506: The Bangsamoro region to govern the barangays, these were constituted into a single administrative area under the direct supervision of the Bangsamoro chief minister through the region's Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG). The MILG deals with the affairs of the area through the Special Geographic Area Development Authority (SGDA), which is headed by an administrator appointed by

1064-405: The Local Government Code of 1983. The governor served as an ex officio member, who did not vote except only to break a tie, but had the power to veto items within, or entire, Sanggunian ordinances and resolutions. However the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of all voting SP members. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan was retained as the legislative branch of all provincial governments under

1120-742: The President, who also happened to be the Prime Minister . Other members of the new Sanggunian were the governor and the vice governor, both elected by popular vote, and the president of the provincial federation of the Kabataang Barangay, appointed by the President/Prime Minister. The powers and duties of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan was codified under Batas Pambansa Blg. 337, also known as

1176-538: The SGA are scattered across the Liguasan Marsh . The 63 barangays in the special geographic area of Bangsamoro were grouped into eight area clusters. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios . The special geographic area of Bangsamoro consists of barangays that are part of Cotabato province, which is not part of the autonomous region, despite the barangays themselves being part of Bangsamoro. For

SECTION 20

#1732798154589

1232-675: The Spanish regime. The Spanish monarch, who also collected taxes (called tribute) from the residents for the Spanish Crown, ruled each barangay through the cabeza . When the Americans arrived , "slight changes in the structure of local government was effected". Later, Rural Councils with four councilors were created to assist, now renamed Barrio Lieutenant; they were later renamed Barrio Council and then Barangay Council ( Sangguniang Barangay ). The Spanish term barrio (abbr. Bo.)

1288-498: The apportionment of the Sanggunian members among the districts. Provinces comprising a single congressional district are divided into two sanggunian districts by the COMELEC for purposes of electing SP members. A majority of Sangguniang Panlalawigan districts are contiguous to existing congressional districts . The exceptions are the following: The following is a table with the number of members elected from each SP district, showing

1344-789: The barangay. The number of barangay tanods differs from one barangay to another; they help maintain law and order in the neighborhoods throughout the Philippines. Funding for the barangay comes from their share of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), with a portion of the allotment set aside for the Sangguniang Kabataan. The exact amount of money is determined by a formula combining the barangay's population and land area. Sangguniang Panlalawigan Members are either called "board members" (BM) or "Sangguniang Panlalawigan members" (SPM). In Tagalog-speaking provinces, they are informally called "bokal". During

1400-544: The barangays' inclusion. Barangay Baltican in Pikit rejected their inclusion, while the rest of Pikit consented to the barangay's inclusion and would have been part of the new autonomous region if Baltican voters also voted for their inclusion. Upon the effective foundation of the new Bangsamoro autonomous region, the barangays remained part of their parent municipalities. Their residents voted for municipal officials of their parent municipalities and Cotabato provincial officials in

1456-668: The chief minister. The SGDA continues to supervise the barangays even after the creation of the SGA municipalities in April 2024. Barangay The barangay ( / b ɑːr ɑː ŋ ˈ ɡ aɪ / ; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy. ), historically referred to as barrio , is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines . Named after the precolonial polities of the same name , modern barangays are political subdivisions of cities and municipalities which are analogous to villages , districts, neighborhoods, suburbs , or boroughs . The word barangay originated from balangay ,

1512-539: The composition of the Provincial Board by creating a new elective office, the vice-governorship, as well as providing for provinces of the first, second and third income class to have one additional elected board member. However, the Board still had limited real legislative powers, as the provincial government was merely serving as an extension of national government. Republic Act No. 5185 was enacted in 1967 with

1568-519: The council are the barangay captain, seven barangay councilors, and the chairman of the Youth Council, or Sangguniang Kabataan (SK). Thus, there are eight members of the legislative council in a barangay. The council is in session for a new solution or a resolution of bill votes, and if the counsels and the SK are at a tie, the barangay captain uses their vote. This only happens when the SK, which

1624-413: The designation of "province" ( provincia ) were led by an appointed alcalde who performed judicial, fiscal and executive functions. This system of government lasted for almost three hundred years until 1886 when a governor ( gobernador ) was first appointed in each of the eighteen existing provinces, relegating the alcalde to carry out only judicial functions. American rule brought radical changes to

1680-606: The drafting of the 1987 Constitution , the Municipal Council was restored, making the barangay the smallest unit of Philippine government. The first barangay elections held under the new constitution were held on March 28, 1989, under Republic Act No. 6679. The last barangay elections were held in October 2023 . The next elections will be held in December 2025. The modern barangay is headed by elected officials,

1736-559: The early period of Spanish colonization , newly conquered areas were designated as encomiendas which were headed by an encomendero chosen by the Spanish from among the ranks of the powerful local nobles. Encomiendas were organized only for the purposes of collecting tribute that went in part to the Roman Catholic Church , the Spanish army, and to the Royal Treasury. Later on areas which were organized and given

Special Geographic Area - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-494: The effective control of Bangsamoro as of July 2019 since they were not yet officially turned over to the Bangsamoro regional government, which was initially set to occur once a local government code was passed by the Bangsamoro Parliament. With the local government code still pending, the official turnover took place on November 20, 2019. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Cotabato has passed a resolution concerning

1848-453: The election of 3 "sectoral representatives," which are supposed to come from: Although several attempts have been made in the past to provide for the election of these sectoral representatives, the lack of a more concrete enabling law upon which the manner of election of these sectoral representatives can be legally based continues to prevent this feature of local governments from being fully realized. The number of regular Sanggunian members

1904-415: The intention of decentralizing authority and further empowering local governments to address the needs of their constituents more effectively. By virtue of Presidential Decree No. 826 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos on November 14, 1975 all existing governing boards and councils in each province, city and municipality were renamed Sangguniang Bayan. The province-level Sangguniang Bayan (later given

1960-533: The legislations in a plebiscite held on April 13, 2024. Following the plebiscite, the BARMM regional government said that the Special Geographic Area would be retained pending the creation of a new province, while Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim would appoint officers-in-charge to lead the municipalities pending scheduled elections in 2025. On May 1, 2024, an ad hoc screening and review committee

2016-407: The membership of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. All provinces were entitled to 6 elective SP members, unless they had more than one million residents (8 members) or less than 100,000 residents (4 members). Direct municipal representation was eliminated, and in its place was indirect "grassroots" representation through the president of the provincial association of barangay chairmen who was appointed by

2072-510: The name Sangguniang Panlalawigan, commonly abbreviated to SP) consisted of all the incumbent provincial board members (including the governor and vice-governor), plus a representative from each municipality within the province, and the provincial president of the Katipunan ng Mga Kabataang Barangay or Association of Barangay Youth. Batas Pambansa Blg. 51, enacted in 1979, standardized the composition of all provincial legislatures by reducing

2128-500: The new autonomous region. The municipalities these barangays are a part of, as well as the barangays themselves, remain part of Cotabato. These barangays could be reorganized into one or more new municipalities or merged with any of the neighboring municipalities in Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur , which are part of Bangsamoro. The Bangsamoro regional government started effective governance over these barangays since

2184-489: The number of Sanggunian members among the SP districts into which the province is divided. As much as possible, the members are equally divided among the legislative districts. If such equal division is impossible the remaining numbers are assigned to the districts with a bigger population count than the others. The COMELEC likewise factors out the population of independent cities which do not elect provincial officials in determining

2240-557: The official turnover of these localities to the region by the Cotabato provincial government on November 20, 2019. Some of these barangays are exclaves , which means they are entirely surrounded by localities that are not part of Bangsamoro. The Philippine government organized a two-part plebiscite that concerns the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law , the founding basis of the then-to-be established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which

2296-566: The plebiscite to join declined. This led to 20 barangays staying out of the BARMM out of 42. Pikit's town hall, which is located in Fort Pikit, one of the barangays that voted for inclusion, is being petitioned to be annexed by Poblacion, one of the towns that did not petition to be included. The barangays in Aleosan and Tulunan voted in favor of their inclusion, but the majority of voters in the rest of their parent municipalities voted against

Special Geographic Area - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-619: The plebiscite, 63 had successful bids for their inclusion in the Bangsamoro autonomous region. The four that rejected the measure are Galidan in Tulunan , Balatican in Pikit , and Pagangan and Lower Mingading in Aleosan ; these four were excluded from BARMM and remained part of Soccsksargen. Meanwhile, each municipality consented to its barangays joining the BARMM. In Pikit, the most populous municipality in Cotabato, all but one barangay that voted in

2408-478: The population varied from 100 to 500 persons. According to Miguel López de Legazpi , he founded communities with only 20 to 30 people. Traditionally, the original "barangays" were coastal settlements formed by the migration of these Malayo-Polynesian people (who came to the archipelago) from other places in Southeast Asia ( see chiefdom ). Most of the ancient barangays were coastal or riverine. This

2464-467: The rule are provinces which are divided into more than five congressional districts . Each Sangguniang Panlalawigan district in the provinces of Batangas , Cavite , Cebu , Negros Occidental and Pangasinan elect two members to the Sanggunian, resulting in a total number of 16 regularly elected SP members in Cavite, 14 in Cebu, and 12 in the three other provinces. The Commission on Elections apportions

2520-679: The same type of government. Officials in specially organized provinces (those termed "Non-Christian provinces") were appointed by the Governor-General with the approval of the Philippine Commission until legislation gradually brought each of them in line with regularly organized provinces, that by the time of independence in 1946 all provinces had largely similar governments. The passage of Republic Act No. 2264 (the "Local Autonomy Act") on June 19, 1959, not only granted greater autonomy to local governments, but also expanded

2576-491: The symbolic assumption of the Bangsamoro regional government over the 63 Cotabato barangays along with Cotabato City. On August 17, 2023, the bills consolidating the barangays into 8 municipalities were approved by the Bangsamoro Parliament . Chief Minister Ebrahim signed the bills into law (Bangsamoro Act No. 41 to 48) on September 4, 2023. A majority of residents in the would be eight municipalities ratified

2632-557: The system of local government in the country. In 1901 the Philippine Commission enacted Act No. 83, known as the Provincial Government Act, which outlined the powers, responsibilities and composition of the provincial government. Each regularly organized province was provided a Provincial Board composed of three provincial officials: the governor, the treasurer, and a "third member" who in most cases

2688-497: The topmost being the barangay captain . The barangay captain is aided by the Sangguniang Barangay (Barangay Council), whose members, called barangay kagawad ("councilors"), are also elected. The barangay is often governed from its seat of local government , the barangay hall . The council is considered a local government unit (LGU), similar to the provincial and municipal governments. The officials that make up

2744-404: The transfer. Amidst budgetary concerns, the barangays were assured that they will still receive their internal revenue allocation directly from the Department of Budget and Management after the transfer takes place. By March 2020, the 63 barangays had already been grouped into a special geographic area of the Bangsamoro region. Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim issued an executive order establishing

2800-501: The vice-governor, who has now become the presiding officer, only participates in breaking ties in voting. Since 1992 SP members are elected from districts to ensure geographical representation, and the size of the province's Sanggunian was dependent on its income classification rather than population. The powers, duties, and functions of the Sanggunian are outlined in Section 468 of the Local Government Code of 1991. The legislative body

2856-405: The winners being the seven candidates with the most votes. Typically, a ticket consists of one candidate for barangay captain and seven candidates for councilors. Elections for the post of punong barangay and the barangay kagawads are usually held every three years, starting in 2007. A barangay tanod , or barangay police officer, is an unarmed watchman who fulfills policing functions within

SECTION 50

#1732798154589

2912-682: The word barangay to describe themselves or their communities. Instead, barangay is argued to be a Spanish invention resulting from an attempt by the Spaniards to reconstruct pre-conquest Tagalog society. The first barangays started as relatively small communities of around 50 to 100 families. By the time of contact with the Spaniards, many barangays had developed into large communities. The encomienda of 1604 shows that many affluent and powerful coastal barangays in Sulu , Butuan , Panay , Leyte , Cebu , Pampanga , Pangasinan , Pasig , Laguna , and

2968-642: Was held to determine the towns' interim officials. On July 9, 2024, Ebrahim named the OIC officials. Robin Padilla in November 2024 filed Senate Bill No. 2875 has proposing the creation of 'Kutawato' province from the SGA. The Special Geographic Area (SGA) is situated within the province of Cotabato . While the SGA is part of Bangsamoro, Cotabato is still grouped with the Soccsksargen region. The barangays of

3024-690: Was intended to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and the expansion of the then-proposed Bangsamoro autonomous region to potentially include municipalities in Lanao del Norte , the cities of Isabela in Basilan and Cotabato in Maguindanao , and select barangays in Cotabato province. For the prospective barangays in Cotabato to join, voters in all of the parent municipalities also had to consent to their bid to join Bangsamoro. Out of 67 barangays in Cotabato that were included in

3080-516: Was known as the supervisor. The governor in regularly organized provinces under civilian control were initially elected by municipal vice-presidents and councilors within the province through a convention held in the provincial capital every even-numbered year. As civil government took hold, the governorship was made elective. The composition of provincial boards were also later modified, with the treasurer and "third member" taken out and replaced by two members elected by popular vote. Not all provinces had

3136-406: Was used for much of the 20th century. Manila mayor Ramon Bagatsing established the first Barangay Bureau in the Philippines, creating the blueprint for the barangay system as the basic socio-political unit for the city in the early 1970s. This was quickly replicated by the national government, and in 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos ordered the renaming of barrios to barangays. The name survived

#588411