Marcos says barangay execs' benefits under Local Government Code not fully given to them

Presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Thursday said he wants the Local Government Code to be checked as there are benefits for barangay officials that are supposedly not being given to them.

Marcos made the remark during the assembly of barangay captains in Iloilo province, which was attended by more or less 1,500 officials. He recalled that when he was still a lawmaker, he fought for providing honorariums for barangay volunteers.

According to Marcos, some benefits of barangay executives, which are stated in the Local Government Code, are not being fully given to them such as health insurance and scholarship for their children.

"Kung titingnan ninyo po ang Local Government Code ay may mga benepisyo na dapat ibinibigay, lalong-lalo na sa mga barangay chairman na hindi natutupad, pag-usapan muna natin 'yung mga scholarship na dapat ibinibigay sa anak ng mga barangay officials. Bukod pa doon, naging mas importante at naging mas mahalaga dito sa nakaraang pandemya ay 'yung health insurance na dapat ay ibinibigay natin sa ating mga barangay officials at kanilang pamilya..." he said.

(If you look at the Local Government Code, there are benefits that are not being given to barangay officials such as the scholarship for their children and, more importantly, the health insurance for them and their respective families.)

"Sa palagay ko, sa napakagandang ginawa ninyong trabaho dito sa krisis ng pandemya, dapat nating balikan 'yan at sabihin nating 'yang nasa Local Government Code na mga benepisyo na dapat ibigay sa mga bara-barangay ay dapat matupad na at sa wakas makuha nang buo ang benepisyo ng lahat ng ating barangay officials. Isama na rin natin 'yan 'yung honorarium ng mga volunteers." Marcos added.

(Because of your efforts amid the pandemic, there is a need to check that and ensure that the benefits will reach all barangays. All barangay officials should receive fully the benefits including the honorarium for volunteers.)

The standard bearer of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas acknowledged the role of barangay officials in this time of COVID-19 pandemic, saying that without their efforts, the country could not be on the road to recovery from the health crisis.

"Kung wala po ang mga barangay officials, hindi po tayo dahan-dahang lumalabas ngayon sa pandemya," Marcos stressed.

(Without the barangay officials, we cannot recover from the pandemic.)

"Alam naman po natin na kayo ang umikot, kayo ang pumunta at nakipagkita sa mga nagrereport kung sino ang nagkakasakit, kayo ang nagdadala sa mga pasyente sa iba't ibang lugar at dahil diyan, dahil sa sipag ninyo, nakikita natin na dahan-dahan na po tayong lumalabas sa pandemya," Marcos said.

(We all know that barangay officials are the ones who visit patients and who report who are infected. Because of your hard work, we can say that we are on the road to recovery from the pandemic.)—AOL, GMA News