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A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest
administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
and is the native Filipino term for a
village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...
, district, or ward. In metropolitan areas, the term often refers to an inner city
neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...
, a
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
, or a suburban neighborhood or even a
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
. The word ''barangay'' originated from '' balangay'', a type of boat used by a group of
Austronesian peoples The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar that speak Austro ...
when they migrated to the Philippines.
Municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
and cities in the Philippines are politically subdivided into barangays, with the exception of the municipalities of Adams in Ilocos Norte and Kalayaan in
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...
, with each containing a single barangay. Barangays are sometimes informally subdivided into smaller areas called ''
purok A ''purok'' ( en, district or zone) is a division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a purok often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay ...
'' ( en, "
zone Zone or The Zone may refer to: Places Climate and altitude zones * Death zone (originally the lethal zone), altitudes above a certain point where the amount of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span * Frigid zone, ...
"), or barangay zones consisting of a cluster of houses for organizational purposes, and ''
sitio A ''sitio'' (Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popul ...
s'', which are territorial
enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
s—usually
rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...
—far from the barangay center. , there are 42,047 barangays throughout the Philippines.


History

When the first Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in the 16th century, they found well-organized independent villages called ''barangays''. The name ''barangay'' originated from '' balangay'', a certain type of traditional boat in many languages in the Philippines., citing
^ , .
Early Spanish dictionaries of Philippine languages make it clear that ''balangay'' was pronounced "ba-la-ngay", while today the modern ''barangay'' is pronounced "ba-rang-gay". The term referred to the people serving under a particular chief, rather than to the modern meaning of an area of land, for which other words were used. While ''barangay'' is a Tagalog word, it spread throughout the Philippines as Spanish rule concentrated power in Manila. All citations regarding pre-colonial barangay lead to a single source, Juan de Plascencia's 1589 report ''Las costumbres de los indios Tagalos de Filipinas''. However, historian Damon Woods challenges the concept of ''barangay'' as an indigenous political organization primarily due to lack of linguistic evidence. Based on indigenous language documents, Tagalogs did not use the word ''barangay'' to describe themselves or their communities. Instead, ''barangay'' is argued as a Spanish invention from an attempt by the Spaniards in reconstructing pre-conquest Tagalog society. The first barangays started as relatively small communities of around 50 to 100 families. By the time of contact with Spaniards, many barangays have developed into large communities. The ''encomienda'' of 1604 shows that many affluent and powerful coastal barangays in Sulu, Butuan, Panay, Leyte and Cebu, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Pasig, Laguna, and Cagayan River were flourishing trading centers. Some of these barangays had large populations. In Panay, some barangays had 20,000 inhabitants; in Leyte (Baybay), 15,000 inhabitants; in Cebu, 3,500 residents; in Vitis (Pampanga), 7,000 inhabitants; Pangasinan, 4,000 residents. There were smaller barangays with fewer number of people. But these were generally inland communities; or if they were coastal, they were not located in areas which were good for business pursuits. These smaller barangays had around thirty to one hundred houses only, and the population varied from one hundred to five hundred persons. According to Legazpi, he founded communities with only twenty to thirty people. Traditionally, the original "barangays" were coastal settlements of the migration of these
Malayo-Polynesian The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. The Malayo-Polynesian languages are spoken by the Austronesian peoples outside of Taiwan, in the island nations of Southeast ...
people (who came to the archipelago) from other places in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
(''see chiefdom''). Most of the ancient barangays were coastal or riverine. This is because most of the people were relying on fishing for their supply of protein and their livelihood. They also traveled mostly by water up and down rivers, and along the coasts. Trails always followed river systems, which were also a major source of water for bathing, washing, and drinking. The coastal barangays were more accessible to trade with foreigners. These were ideal places for economic activity to develop. Business with traders from other countries also meant contact with other cultures and civilizations, such as those of
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...
,
Indian people Indians or Indian people are the Indian nationality law, citizens and nationals of India. In 2022, the population of India stood at over 1.4 billion people, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most p ...
, and
Arab people The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...
. These coastal communities acquired more cosmopolitan cultures, with developed social structures (sovereign principalities), ruled by established royalties and nobilities. During the Spanish rule, through a resettlement policy called ''
reducción Indian reductions in the Andes ( es, reducciones de indios, links=no) were settlements in the former Inca Empire created by Spanish authorities and populated by the forcible relocation of indigenous Andean populations, called "Indians" by the Spa ...
'', smaller scattered barangays were consolidated (and thus, "reduced") to form compact towns. Each barangay was headed by the ''
cabeza de barangay A ''cabeza de barangay'' (literally "head of hebarangay), also known as ''teniente del barrio'', was the leader or chief of a barangay or barrio in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.Scott, William Henry. ''Barangay Sixteenth-Cen ...
'' (barangay chief), who formed part of the '' principalía'' – the elite ruling class of the municipalities of the Spanish Philippines. This position was inherited from the first ''datu''s, and came to be known as such during the Spanish regime. The Spanish monarch ruled each barangay through the ''cabeza'', who also collected taxes (called tribute) from the residents for the Spanish Crown. When the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
s arrived, "slight changes in the structure of local government was effected". Later, ''Rural Councils'' with four councilors were created to assist, now renamed ''Barrio Lieutenant''; it was later renamed ''Barrio Council'', and then ''
Barangay Council The Sangguniang Barangay, also known as the Barangay Council, and formerly as the Rural Council and then the Barrio Council, is the legislative body of a barangay, the lowest form of government in the Philippines. The term is coined from the Tag ...
''. The Spanish term ''
barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...
'' (abbr. "Bo.") was used for much of the 20th century. Mayor Ramon Bagatsing of the City of
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
established the first ''Barangay'' Bureau in the Philippines, creating the blueprint for the barangay system as the basic socio-political unit for the city in the early 70s. This was quickly replicated by the national government, and in 1974 President
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
ordered the renaming of barrios to ''barangay''s. The name survived the 1986 EDSA Revolution, though older people would still use the term ''barrio''. The ''Municipal Council'' was abolished upon transfer of powers to the barangay system. Marcos used to call the barangay part of Philippine participatory democracy, and most of his writings involving the New Society praised the role of ''baranganic democracy'' in nation-building. After the 1986 EDSA Revolution and the drafting of the
1987 Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippines ...
, the Municipal Council was restored, making the barangay the smallest unit of Philippine government. The first
barangay elections Barangay elections are elections in the Philippines in the barangays, the smallest of the administrative divisions in the Philippines. Barangays make up cities and municipalities and in turn are made up of sitios and puroks, whose leaders are no ...
held under the new constitution was held on March 28, 1989, under Republic Act No. 6679. The last barangay elections were held in October 2013. Barangay elections scheduled in October 2017 were postponed following the signing of Republic Act No. 10952. The postponement has been criticized by election watchdogs and in both the Philippine Congress and Senate. The
Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) is a non-partisan, non-sectarian non-profit organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines that works to ensure free, fair and fraud-free elections in the Phili ...
considers the postponement a move that would "only deny the people their rights to choose their leaders."


Organization

The modern barangay is headed by elected officials, the topmost being the '' punong barangay'' or the barangay chairperson (addressed as ''kapitan''; also known as the barangay captain). The ''kapitan'' is aided by the
Sangguniang Barangay The Sangguniang Barangay, also known as the Barangay Council, and formerly as the Rural Council and then the Barrio Council, is the legislative body of a barangay, the lowest form of government in the Philippines. The term is coined from the T ...
(Barangay Council) whose members, called '' barangay kagawad'' ("councilors"), are also elected. The council is considered to be a local government unit (LGU), similar to the provincial and the municipal government. The officials that make up the council are the ''punong barangay'', seven barangay councilors, and the chairman of the Youth Council or the '' Sangguniang Kabataan'' (SK). Thus, there are eight members of the Legislative Council in a barangay. The council is in session for a new solution or a resolution of bill votes, and if the counsels and the SK are at tie decision, the barangay captain uses their vote. This only happens when the SK which is sometimes stopped and continued. In absence of an SK, the council votes for a nominated Barangay Council president, and this president is not like the League of the Barangay Councilors, which is composed of barangay captains of a municipality. The Barangay Justice System or '' Katarungang Pambarangay'' is composed of members commonly known as ''
lupon tagapamayapa Katarungang Pambarangay, or the Barangay Justice System is a local justice system in the Philippines. It is operated by the smallest of the local government units, the barangay, and is overseen by the barangay captain, the highest elected officia ...
'' (
justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
). Their function is to conciliate and mediate disputes at the barangay level to avoid legal action and relieve the courts of docket congestion.
Barangay elections Barangay elections are elections in the Philippines in the barangays, the smallest of the administrative divisions in the Philippines. Barangays make up cities and municipalities and in turn are made up of sitios and puroks, whose leaders are no ...
are non-partisan and are typically hotly contested. Barangay captains are elected by
first-past-the-post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
plurality (no runoff voting). Councilors are elected by plurality-at-large voting with the entire barangay as a single
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
district. Each voter can vote up to seven candidates for councilor, with the winners being the seven candidates with the most votes. Typically, a
ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a tol ...
usually consists of one candidate for barangay captain and seven candidates for the councilors. Elections for the post of ''punong barangay'' and the ''barangay kagawads'' are usually held every three years starting from 2007. The barangay is often governed from its seat of local government, the
barangay hall A barangay hall is the seat of government for a barangay, the lowest elected administrative division of the Philippines, below that of a Cities of the Philippines, city or Municipalities of the Philippines, municipality. It serves as the office of ...
. A '' tanod'', or barangay police officer, is an unarmed watchman who fulfills policing functions within the barangay. The number of barangay tanods differs from one barangay to another; they help maintain law and order in the neighborhoods throughout the Philippines. Funding for the barangay comes from their share of the
Internal Revenue Allotment The Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) is a local government unit’s (LGU) share of revenues from the Philippine national government. Provinces, independent cities, component cities, municipalities, and barangays each get a separate allotment. T ...
(IRA) with a portion of the allotment set aside for the ''Sangguniang Kabataan''. The exact amount of money is determined by a formula combining the barangay's population and land area.


See also

*
Poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippines, Philippi ...
*
Barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...
* Association of Barangay Captains * Balangay *
Barangay Health Volunteers Barangay health volunteers, also known as barangay health workers, are health care providers in the Philippines. They undergo a basic training program under an accredited government or non-government organization, and render primary care services ...
*
Purok A ''purok'' ( en, district or zone) is a division within a barangay in the Philippines. While not officially considered a local government unit (LGU), a purok often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay ...
*
Sitio A ''sitio'' (Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popul ...
*
Unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
, a similar phenomenon in the United States and Canada


Bibliography

* Constantino, Renato. (1975) ''The Philippines: A Past Revisited'' (volume 1). * Mamuel Merino, O.S.A., ed., ''Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas (1565–1615)'', Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1975.


Notes


References


External links


Katarungang Pambarangay Handbook
{{Philippines topics . Local government in the Philippines Subdivisions of the Philippines Human habitats Tagalog words and phrases Types of administrative division