Bohol First District Cong. Edgar M. Chatto has called for the passage of a proposed
legislation that would professionalize the positions of barangay secretary and treasurer.
He made the appeal during the budget hearing of the Commission on Audit (COA) in
Congress on August 24, 2023, where he sought the support of his fellow lawmakers.
The COA had reported some challenges in implementing its programs, especially on
training barangay officials across the country.
Chatto agreed that there was a need to enhance the capacity of barangay officials,
particularly on financial management, as pointed out by COA Commissioner Mario
Lipana.
He stressed that a law that would require permanent appointments for barangay
secretaries and treasurers would ensure continuity of services and institutional
knowledge in the administration of the barangays.
He noted that among the local government units defined in the Local Government Code,
only the barangays do not have permanent employees. He also raised the same
concern for the Sangguniang Kabataan in managing their own funds.
“This is a core issue that must be addressed,” Chatto said, with COA Chairman
Gamaliel Cordoba, Commissioners Lipana and Roland Pondoc, and Director Nilda
Plaras expressing their support for Chatto’s initiative.
Chatto filed House Bill 3223 to professionalize the office of the barangay secretary and
treasurer by granting them security of tenure, fixing their qualification standards,
defining their salary and benefits, and other provisions.
The bill highlights the importance of the roles of the barangay secretary and treasurer in
maintaining and managing essential documents and data that are vital to the delivery of
basic services by the barangays.
Chatto argued that the current practice of changing the barangay secretary and
treasurer with every change of leadership is counterproductive to the preservation,
continuity, and reliability of important barangay records.
The bill aims to promote professionalism and independence of the positions from
politics by requiring civil service qualifications, thus ensuring efficiency and objectivity.