Barangay councils in the Philippines

The Sangguniang Barangay known commonly as the Barangay Council, and formerly as the Rural Council and then the Barrio Council, is the legislative body of a barangay, the lowest elected government in the Philippines.

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The term is coined from the Tagalog words "sanggunian" and "baranggay" which means "barangay advisory council".

Each Sanggunian is headed by a Barangay Captain (the village's chief executive), and comprises seven members all titled kagawad (English: Barangay Councillor), and the Chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan, the barangay's youth council, for a total of eight members.

As a collegiate body, a Sanggunian primarily passes ordinances and resolutions for the effective administration of the barangay. Its powers and functions are defined by the Local Government Code of 1991.[1]

History
Seal of the Barangay Council

During the American Colonial Period, appointed Rural Councils were created, with four councillors assisting the council's Barrio Lieutenant, now known as the Barangay Captain.[2] The body was later renamed Barrio Council.[2]

The 1959 Barrio Charter Act, passed after Philippine independence in 1946, changed the council from being appointed to elected.[3]

See also

References
  1. DILG – Local Government Code of 1991 Archived May 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Zamora, Mario D. (1966). "Political Change and Tradition: The Case of Village Asia". In Karigoudar Ishwaran (ed.). International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology: Politics and Social Change. Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill. pp. 247–253. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  3. Tigno, Jorge V. (2003). "Economic Vitality and Local Governance: The Political Economy of Decentralization in the Philippines". In Yasutami Shimomura (ed.). Asian Development Experience: The role of governance in Asia Volume 2 of Asian Development Experience Series. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 266. ISBN 9789812302007. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
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