Barangay national assembly set on October 9

MANILA, Philippines – The national assembly of barangay officials led by Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno will be held on Oct. 9, an administration lawmaker announced yesterday.

Various issues, including President Duterte’s war on drugs, peace and order, disaster preparedness and solid waste management, among others, will be discussed during the assembly.

Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte said the gathering would be an opportune time for the national government to tackle federalism as a way to “unofficially kick off the information drive on the proposed shift to this system of government.”

Villafuerte said the shift to federal-parliamentary form of government may be appropriate in light of the assembly’s theme this year, which focuses on “real change.”

“The proposed shift to a federal system of government through Charter change is the game changer that would bring about the real change that would uplift the lives of Filipinos by making economic growth beneficial to all and not just a few,” Villafuerte said.

He said barangay officials are the frontliners of the national government in the delivery of basic services down to the smallest communities.

“Their knowledge on federalism would help educate the people ahead of the upcoming deliberations in Congress on the proposed shift in government,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte earlier called on local executives to spearhead the information campaign and public consultations on the proposed shift to federalism to increase public awareness about the merits and reach consensus on the long-overdue switch to this system of government.

“The information campaign must be two-pronged. It should educate the people about the advantages of the federal system and determine, at the same time, what setup they prefer in adopting this kind of system,” he said.