Third District Rep. Arthur Yap makes sure his bill proposing increase of the honorarium of barangay officials can proceed to third reading within this term.

Yap said he is confident the measure will pass muster as he noted fellow legislators also recognize the exigencies of the barangays.

The bill already passed on second reading and there could be enough time to push for it on third reading in the remaining months of the current term of the 16^th Congress, he said.

Yap pointed out that being on call 24 hours a week, barangay officials deserve the rate equivalent to a regular pay.

Yap authored House Bill 198 entitled “An Act Prescribing the Honoraria or allowances of Barangay Officials at Minimum Wage Levels” to address this concern.

The proposed measure entails an amendment on Section 393 paragraph (a) of Republic Act 7610, as amended, or the Local Government Code of 1991.

Under House Bill 198, Yap proposed that barangay captains will get a monthly honorarium of P2,200 which is 120-percent increase from their previous allowance of P1,000.

The Bill also proposed that Sangguniang Barangay members or barangay kagawads, treasurer and secretary will get an increase of P1,200 per month from the previous P600.

Yap thoroughly elaborated on the duties of barangay officials during the meeting of the Technical Working Group of the House Committee on Local Government on March 3, this year.

Barangay officials are required to be available 24 hours when needed.

Yap believes that barangay executives deserve a higher honorarium given their heavy workload.

Now that it already passed the second reading, Yap reiterated that barangay officials serve their constituents “with no regard for after office hours and overtime work and no nightshift differential for midnight patrol duty”.

With the heavy workload, most of barangay officials can no longer afford to take any other job, adding that, “their source of income or livelihood is the honoraria, allowances and other emoluments they receive as barangay officials”.

Barangay officials could not even enjoy holidays and rest days in most cases, aside from working full time.

Aside from the barangay captain and barangay kagawads, Yap said the barangay treasurer and secretary are also the main work force of the barangay.