by Telly G. Ocampo
CULTURAL HERITAGE
FOR SEPTEMBER 3, 2023
The Barrio vs. the Barangay: Kagahapon vs. Karon
When I was young, in the 50s and early 60s, there was
no barangay yet. The area was still called the barrio. Ug
niadtong panahona, wala gyu’y mag-ilog pagka
kapitan. Ang kapitan sa among panahon mura ug
way sweldo. Mura ug hatagan lang ug pahinungod
alang sa iyang pagserbisyo. Apan karong
eleksyona, gabaha-baha ang milusad sa ilang
kandidatora. Ngano kaha? Makapangutana lang
gyud ta, dili ba?
Life was simple, then. The punong barangay was
someone who gave more and took less. If he was
married, the role of the wife was to keep the hearth
burning.
Sa among panahon, walay asawa ug politico
nga mo birig-birig sa bana kung adunay
kalihukan sa bantawan (stage).
Sa among panahon, walay asawa ug politico
nga adunay lamesa sa munisipyo.
Sa among panahon, walay asawa sa politico nga
maoy mo Maritess alang sa mga tawo.
This meant to say that sa among panahon, it was the
husband who always brought home the bacon. It was
the husband who held the reins of government, both in
the office and at home.
The barangay is the product of Ako ay Pilipino, ang
Dugo ay Maharlika. It was conceptualized by the
Ministry of the interior of local government, now the
Department of the Interior and Local Government
(DILG). The concept was good. It was meant to be
apolitical. The purpose was to empower the barangay
so people will live in harmony without the boundaries of
political parties and without the control of political
kingpins.
But sad to say that what is practiced today is the exact
opposite of what we expected to happen yesterday.
Today’s reality has made the situation political. Money
has become the culture of election. It has become an
enterprise for the members of the ruling political elite.
Politicians are now the masters of the game.
Perhaps I’m a Jurassic in my concept of how public
servants should be. What am I looking for in a public
servant are:
- He must know the meaning of public service:
giving more and taking less; common good first
before personal interest. - He must know how to balance the scale between
his responsibility to the family and responsibility to
the public that he serves. - He must know that public service must not be a
family enterprise. It is a collaboration of the
people’s dreams, efforts and aspirations. I know
you would say that I still belong to the old school. I
still believe that the wife’s place is in the home; and
the children must spread their wings outside of
politics. Nepotism is a vanishing rule in
government service.
- He must have the wisdom of Solomon in making
decisions because in them rest the executive,
legislative and judicial functions. It’s imperative,
then, that they must know the local government
code. - He must be a leader who knows how to manage
his home. For how can he ever become an
effective leader if his home is in disarray?
With all my dreams of a barangay is a sudden surge of
the The Man of La Mancha, a 1965 musical with a book
by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by
Joe Darion featuring the song with the chosen lines
below:
To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
And to run where the brave dare not go . . .
This is my quest, To follow that star
No matter how hopeless, No matter how far
To fight for the right, Without question or pause
To be willing to march, march into Hell
For that Heavenly cause. . . !
