Barangay

“ They must also, by reason of their office, give account to the father minister and the alcalde-mayor of their province, in case there is any fault to find with their respective barangays.
467. No Indian could pass voluntarily from one barangay to another without the payment of a certain sum, which was established among them, and unless he made a great feast to all the barangay which he left. It was much more difficult if they were married. If a man of one barangay married a woman from another, the children had to be divided between the barangays, as was also done with the slaves. ”

“ Every person who is qualified to register as member of the barangay shall register by personally appearing before any of the registration officers of the barrio, barangay or district at such place which the latter may designate with proper notices to the barrio, barangay or district members. ”

“ They are permitted to collect certain dues that are specified in their own credentials. Each town has also other citizens known under the name of cabezas [i.e., heads] de barangay. Each cabeza is obliged to look after forty-five or fifty tributes which comprise as many families, and that is the signification of barangay. The cabezas must reside with them in the district or street assigned; must attend in person to the good order and harmony of their individuals; must apportion among them all the services that are due from them collectively; must settle their disputes ”

“ The Barrio Captain and members of the Barrio Council, or in the case of chartered cities where there are no existing barrios the barangay chairman and barangay leaders, shall be the ex-officio Registration Officers in their respective barrios, barangays or districts and shall take charge of the registration of the members of the barangays therein without prejudice to the power of the Commission to deputize public school teachers and such other officials or employees whenever the need arises to help in the registration of barangay members. ”

“ In addition to these local officials there is another curious body of men, called Cabezas de barangay; each of whom has under his charge about fifty families, whose tribute to government he has to collect, and for the amount of which he is held accountable. ”

“ The barangay not only is the vehicle for expressing the views of the people, it is also the instrument for greater production. Whether we face recession or worse and graver threats arising out of the world situation, food production is still the principal program of government. Whatever may happen, provided we have enough food, the Philippines will not only survive, we will progress- The principal vehicle for production must be the barangays and the Samahang Nayon. ”

“ He said that, in fulfilment of the commission and instructions given him by the said captain, to ascend the river with the two vireys and one barangay, accompanied by others, as declared in the said instructions, he went, in prosecution of his voyage, and arrived at the village of Buayen, about four leagues from this village of Tapacan, passing some small uninhabited villages on the way. ”

“ The barangay in which he lives will not be without the services of electricity for his modest house, of a schoolhouse for the education of his children, and of a health center for the sick members of his family. His children will be able to choose to farm or to make their living employed in some small-scale industry. ”

“ There is no reason on earth why, notwithstanding the floods, notwithstanding the typhoons, notwithstanding the natural calamities the Philippines cannot produce the food that it requires.
We must now dedicate ourselves to the solemn task. And for this purpose, we need every hand. We need total concentration and immediate action. We need the barangays. And this is the reason for the strengthening of the barangays today. There are, I repeat, 33,956 barangays all over the country which coincide with the legally created barrios under the revised barrio charter. ”

“ In addition, there are more than 8,000 barangays in districts or wards of chartered cities, the so-called urban barangays. We have not only increased the income of the barangays, we have given the leaders as well as the members thereof a greater leeway of authority.
Inasmuch as three-fourths of our people live in the rural areas and draw sustenance from agriculture, we shall now, as a matter of the highest priority, endeavor to realize our full potential in agriculture, principally food produc­tion. ”

“ The people want government that works for them at every level. They want good government that begins at their doorstep in the barangay, and does not end before the closed door of a bureaucrat in Metro Manila. ”

“ No province, city, municipality, or barangay may be created, divided, merged, abolished, or its boundary substantially altered, except in accordance with the criteria established in the local government code and subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite in the political units directly affected. ”

“ Their seigniory has not been suppressed by the king, nor can it be suppressed. Such we call cabezas de barangay in Tagálog, and Ginhaopan in Visayan. They and their children and relatives lose nothing of their nobility because they serve the king in cutting timber, in the fleets, or in other personal services which are necessary in this land. As they lose nothing, it is also much honor for them that the king be served by them. Accordingly, there are sargentos-mayor, masters-of-camp, captains, governors of the villages, and lieutenants, and all are Indians of distinction. ”

“ As the various families came hither, each in its own barangay—all, during the voyage, being under the command of a cabeza (a head captain, or pilot) —the land was partitioned among them, so much for each family; while all continued, on the land, subject to the cabezas who had directed them on the sea. These in time were known as datós, or maguinoos. See the Crónica of Francisco de Santa Inés (Manila, 1892) , i, p. 57; Noceda and Sanlucar's Vocabulario Tagala (3rd ed., Manila, 1860) ; Diego Bergaño's Vocabulario Pampanga (Manila, 1860) ”

“ The gobernadorcillo exercises the municipal authority, and is especially charged to aid the parish priest in every thing appertaining to religious observances, etc.
In the towns where the descendants of the Chinese are sufficiently numerous, they can, by permission of the governor, elect their own petty governors and officers from among themselves.
In each town there is also a headman (cabeza de barangay) , who has the charge of fifty tributaries, in each of which is included as many families. ”

“ You saw marching here the Kabataang Barangay, along with the capitanes de barangay who are also here, who now participate actively in everything that has to do with the community action. They provide the means by which our people can directly and truly participate in decision-making. ”

“ When he harvests his rice, they go one day to help him; and the same if he builds a house, or rebuilds one. This chief lord of a barangay collects tribute from his adherents, and takes charge of these collections, to pay them to the encomendero. [200]
Besides the above, each village has a governor [201] who is elected. He and his constables who are called vilangos [202] comprise the usual magistracy among the natives. The governor hears civil suits where a moderate sum is involved; in appeal, the case goes to the corregidor or alcalde-mayor of the province. ”

“ This often arises from the fact that they do not estimate and consider the needs of the Indians with the amount of money that is available; and consequently all the Indians complain. Finally, when the said Indians are paid, it is done by the hand of the chiefs or cabezas de barangay, who generally keep the money. ”

“ The cabezas of barangay can be elected, if they preserve their cabecerías and the collection of tributes, by the rule in the royal decree of October 17, 1785.
The Chinese community may elect from among its Christian individuals, and in a meeting presided over Page 328by the alcalde-mayor of Tondo, one man as gobernadorcillo, one as chief deputy, and a third as alguacil-mayor. The government grants those elected the proper credentials, by virtue of which they exercise jurisdiction. The officials of justice in this community are called bilangos, and are appointed by the new gobernadorcillo. ”

“ This in turn was a natural adaptation of that developed in New Spain. Building upon the available institutions of the barangay as a unit the Spaniards aimed to familiarize and accustom the Indians to settled village life and to moderate labor. Only under these conditions could religious training and systematic religious oversight be provided. These villages were commonly called pueblos or reducciones, and Indians who ran away to escape the restraints of civilized life were said to "take to the hills" (remontar) . ”

“ In the olden days, when, as most of them believe, the Malays came to conquer these islands, they called the boat or ship by the name of barangay, [348] which is well known and much used in these times. In this boat came a whole family, consisting of parents, children, relatives, and slaves, under the government of one who was the leader, captain, or superior of all. ”

“ The subdivision of the provinces was into pueblos each under its petty governor or gobernadorcillo. The gobernadorcillo was an Indian and was elected annually. In Morga's time the right of suffrage seems to have been enjoyed by all married Indians, [68] but in the last century it was restricted to thirteen electors. [69] The gobernadorcillo was commonly called the "captain." Within the pueblos the people formed little groups of from forty to fifty tributes called barangays under the supervision of cabezas de barangay. ”

“ Every Indian of more than twenty-one years of age pays, in four instalments, the annual sum of three francs; which tax is the same to the rich and the poor. At a certain period of the year, twelve of the cabessas de barangay become electors, and assembling together with some of the old inhabitants of the township, they elect, by ballot, three of their number, whose names are forwarded to the governor of the Philippines. The latter chooses from amongst these names [80] whichever he pleases, and confides to him for one year the functions of gobernadorcillo, or deputy-governor. ”

“ The gobernadorcillo was not surprised at Andong's nomination, for he was one of those principales who had recommended Andong to the council. Aning advised Andong to accept the office. "A cabeza de barangay is always respected and honored by the people," said the gobernadorcillo. "He receives no salary, to be sure, but he gets gifts of eggs, chickens, pigs, fruits, which when sold bring much money. Besides, when he wants to build a house for himself, some of his people bring him lumber, rattan, cogon, and other materials, while the others erect the house without any pay." ”

“ This governor, in addition to the vilangos and scrivener (before whom he makes his acts in writing, in the language of the natives of that province) , [375] holds also the chiefs—lords of barangays, and those who are not so—under his rule and government, and, for any special service, such as collections of tributes, and assignments of personal services, as his datos and mandones. ”

“ The natives are free to move from one island to another, and from one province to another, and pay their tribute for that year in which they move and change their residence in the place to which they move; and to move from a Christian village that has instruction to another village possessing it. But on the other hand, they may not move from a place having instruction to one without it, nor in the same village from one barangay to another, nor from one faction to another. ”

“ The strange thing is, that the Indians do not learn from the alcaldes-mayor, who administer justice with the greatest equality, and who do not sit in an elevated place, or even sit down, and go into the street without any following. This aristocratic spirit may be observed in the church. All the principales, who consist of the gobernadorcillos, cabezas de barangay, and all others who have the title ‘Don’ and wear a jacket, seat themselves in the central aisle or nave ”

“ After ten years he had earned a considerable sum, and bought twenty-five carabaos and one hundred hectares of land. He made a trip to Ilocos Norte, and succeeded in getting several Ilocano families to live and to work on his plantation.
One day, while he was working in his field, he received a message from the gobernadorcillo, notifying him of his nomination as a cabeza de barangay (councilor) , and Andong, instead of insulting the police, as many had done, said, "Well, leave with me the letter, and I will call on the gobernadorcillo this afternoon." ”

“ Other burdens which the natives miserably suffer, and which ordinarily fall on the poorest and most wretched, arise from the fact that the alcalde-mayor [127] who makes the apportionment of men adds to it a greater number than is necessary, and those who are thus added redeem themselves from this oppression by money; and then the [list of the] repartimiento goes to the gobernadorcillo, in order that the heads [of barangay] may summon for the woodcutting six or eight men, even though only four may be necessary. ”

“ The Parliament may create, divide, merge, abolish, or substantially alter boundaries of municipalities or barangays in accordance with a law enacted by the Parliament. The municipalities or barangays created, divided, merged, or whose boundaries are substantially altered, shall be entitled to their appropriate share in the national taxes or Internal Revenue Allotment: Provided, That the criteria laid down in Republic Act No. ”