Press Release
September 18, 2007

Villar pushes rights and benefits of barangay leaders

While seeking the consensus of his colleagues on the issue of pushing through with the barangay elections, Senate President Manny Villar stressed that he wants to improve the services of barangay officials by providing them with better benefits.

The Senate President thus filed a bill seeking to include barangays officials in the coverage of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

"The barangays serve as the closest organized local unit delivering basic services to the people. They are in the first line of duty in terms of helping and benefiting our communities," Villar, Nacionalista Party president, said.

"This legislation seeks to augment the meager compensation and benefits received by barangays officials by including them under the coverage of GSIS in recognition of their untold sacrifices and hard work," he stressed.

Villar's Senate Bill 1537 entitled, "An Act including barangays officials within the coverage of the GSIS," provides, "The GSIS, in consultation with the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the league representing barangays captains and officials shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement the provisions of the Act."

"The rules and regulations shall cover the rate of premiums and the manner of its payment, the extent of insurance coverage, contributions to be collected from barangays officials, possible contributions of provinces, cities and municipalities, possible funds that may be sourced from the General Appropriations Act, and other issues of significance," the bill stated.

Villar cited, "The Local Government Code of 1991 recognizes the important role played by barangays officials in local governance, which includes providing 24-hour security to residents, threshing out differences among neighbors, enforcing basic laws and policies on safety and disaster, among others."

News Latest News Feed