175 billion reasons you need to vote wisely on Oct. 30

The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 30, 2023 will be a vital political exercise for the country.

After several postponements, the electorate will finally get the chance to elect new barangay and youth leaders who will lead them in the next two years — yes, the elected officials in the Oct. 30 elections will only serve a two-year term rather than the usual three-year terms after the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional RA 11935, the law the postponed the elections to Oct. 30.

But for legal practicality, the SC allowed the Oct. 30 elections to proceed. However, it made it clear that the next barangay and SK elections will be held on the first Monday of December 2025 and every three years thereafter, reckoned from RA 11462, the law that precedes RA 11935.

Crucial in this political exercise is the close to ₱175 billion Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA), or what is now called the National Tax Allotment (NTA), for the country’s 41,953 barangays — 10 percent of which or ₱17 billion goes to the SK — in 2024. This is a huge amount of public funds to be handled by our barangay and SK officials.

The barangays’ ₱174.27-billion IRA in 2024 is bigger than the proposed ₱105.6 billion budget of 114 state universities and colleges. It is six times bigger than the ₱28 billion allocation for the Department of Health’s (DOH) budget for medicine and vaccines. It is also higher than the budget for DOH-run hospitals, and the Department of Agriculture proper which was allocated ₱108.5 billion.

With this sum of money, it is incumbent upon the electorate to vote wisely come Oct. 30. Elect who you trust and believe can manage these public funds for the highest interest of the barangay, the country’s smallest political unit that plays a key role being a frontline government agency.

As House Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th District Rep. Ralph Recto put it:  “There are 175 billion reasons why the electorate should choose their village leaders well.”

The ₱174.27 billion allocation for barangays is a chunk (20 percent) of the 40-percent share of local governments from the ₱871.38 billion national internal revenue taxes collected. Also getting a share from this 40 percent IRA are the provinces, 23 percent or ₱200.42 billion; municipalities, 34 percent or ₱295.47 billion; and cities, 23 percent or ₱201.22 billion.

Earlier during the preparation of the budget, the Department of Budget and Management, reminded all LGUs to appropriate funds in its annual budget no less than 20 percent of its NTA share for development projects, commonly known as the 20-percent Development Fund. It likewise required LGUs to allocate funds for programs, projects, and activities as mandated by pertinent laws.

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