Electronic Barangay Management System

From the manual typewriter to electronic transaction....that's what the speaker from the local budget officers opined as the Three-Day Training on the Development of Electronic Barangay Baseline Data System for Planning and Budgeting kicks off May 23 until 25, 2016 at Tanchuling Hotel in Legazpi City, Albay in Bicol Philippines.

We were the second batch this year to be trained by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Association of Local Budget Officers of Region V (ALBOREV) who came from the towns of Libmanan (the biggest town in Camarines Sur), Balatan, Lagonoy and Minalabac, my hometown.

The Barangay Captain or Punong Barangay, Secretary , Treasurer and selected Barangay Councilors or Kagawad of each participating barangay underwent a short but concise training on the use of computer software, so that barangay transactions and budgeting will be easier.

The present situation in most barangays, particularly those who are far from the city or town is that local officials still use manual typewriter in making barangay clearances, business certifications and the like.

Unlike in the cities, transactions are now fast and easy because the city employees are using desktop or laptop computers and even softwares for each transaction.

So, the DILG Region V and ALBOREV came up with solution to upgrade the capability building of each barangay by training their elected officers and appointees in electronic barangay management system (eBMS).

Using Microsoft software or even Macintosh, and other software providers made past transactions in many officers easier.

Templates are easy to use, just like the Word for document-making or Excel for accounting.

Right now, I'm writing on HubPages using templates that can save my work.

One of the speakers in our training stressed that saving our past transactions in our desktop computers or even laptops or USBs (Universal Bus Drivers) cannot be simly stored there by using folders inside the Document's folder.

It can create confusion once the computer is invaded by malware, virus, etc.

Therefore, it is necessary to have a secured data system which cannot only save all documents and transactions in my barangay but can also collate and segregate each kind of file.

Let's say for instance, barangay clearance. It is the most documented transaction in every barangay. Residents who are looking for jobs, engaging in micro-loans for local businesses and those who will work abroad will be needing clearances.

With the new data system being offered by the main sponsor of the seminar in cooperation with the local budget officers, eqach barangay will be provided by the software for a better and faster transaction, data encoding and budgeting.

Well, according to our speaker, as we went through series of exercises from saving a document to computing expenses, the new system will not only provided comfort to recipient-barangay but will also save money and time once it is installed in the computer.

To purchase it, the barangay will coordinate with the local budget officer for proper documentation, such as the memorandum of agreement(MoA) and its corresponding resolution and disbursement from the said barangay.

The use will solely for the barangay who can provide a computer and can really serve its purpose.

Starting from budget preparation before year ends, the barangay council will start appropriating percentages of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) to personal services, operating expenses, development projects and calamity fund.

The annual investment program (AIP) of each barangay has a format provided by the local budget officer.

But, it isn't enough because there are lots of unnecessary entries since categories of each appropriation are either done by secretary, not by treasurer or barangay captain.

Documentation often falls to secretary in every barangay, and even making each resolution, transaction reports and a lot more.

Since, it is not a one-man work in order to keep barangay transaction going, the new data system will not only provide knowledge to every barangay official and appointee who will encode such document for every department.

By participating in such training, each barangay official and appointee were able to understand the need to upgrade when it comes to making every transaction easier.

How am I going to apply it back to my own barangay as secretary?

Apart from the local turmoil or problems being faced by every barangay, one must be objective when attaining or fulfilling his or her responsibilities.

He or she must observe the rules on good housekeeping.

For example, the Punong Barangay should never allow his/her barangay treasurer to malverse funds or spend it in his/her own personal caprices.

In fact, the speaker made it a point to catch the attention of barangay captains by stressing that once a treasurer committed anomalies, he/she should be ousted from his/her position as disbursing officer of the barangay.

The same happens to the secretary. If this new development will never be adopted in the barangay, then, it's time to look for a new one in order to implement it.

1. Ms. Marcela Balonsay, Minalabac Budget Officer for alowing me to attend the training-seminar.
2. Capt. Dominga Gaza and Kgd Visitacion Marfil and their fellow barangay officials at Pag-Oring Viejo, Libmanan, Camarines Sur
3. Mrs. Marivic Vallejo of Libmanan's Budget Department
4. Mr. Dove (Ignacio) Masbate for explaining topics extensively.
5. Ms. Gel of DILG V for briefly citing the importance of eBMS to Barangay Bottom Up Projects(BBUB) in 2017

Some barangays were not present during the seminar due to their " hold-statuses".

Local government officers will still call for a refresher so that they can level up with what we've learned regarding the importance of having a data baseline in every barangay.

Note: The 17th Congress will continue supporting such move of the local budget officers and DILG so that the development and progress will not only come in the cities but also start in the all barangays.