In Photos: Barangay Kapitan, Oscar DG. Morales, Jr.
Citizen and Community Journalism: Getting to interview the local government officials of Barangay Poblacion is not only a privilege, but also an essential step to enlighten and educate people towards the need of accountability, transparency, and to seek progress in the community. We recently had the opportunity to talk to their Barangay Kapitan, Secretary and SK Kagawad about the significant concerns in their community and learn more about their plans and initiatives during an insightful interview that made clear the difficulties their community faces as well as the steps that are being taken to address them.
MEMBERS:
Martinez, John Krist U.
Palaje, Andrea M.
Vite, Lia Maicah DC.
Barangay Officials’ Profile Information
Name | Sex | Age | Barangay Position |
Oscar DG. Morales, Jr. | Male | -- | Barangay Captain |
Stephen Angelo P. Enriquez | Male | 36 | Barangay Secretary |
Kathrina Mae Mendoza | Female | 20 | SK Kagawad |
Interviewees | Question #1: Ano ang kinahaharap na isyu o problema sa inyong barangay? |
Barangay Captain Oscar DG. Morales, Jr. | “Number one na problema talaga ng barangay namin, actually hindi lang sa barangay namin… problema ito ng buong mundo, 'yung basura.”
“Kasi po talagang patuloy 'yung pagdami ng tao, patuloy 'yung mga nagtatapon ng basura, syempre ang hirap ay kung pa'no sila didisiplinahin… 'yung pag-segregate, so 'yan talagang isang hamon 'yan para sa 'min, na mahikayat namin 'yung aming mga kabarangay… Kumbaga mixed waste, halo pa rin 'yung aming basura.”
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Barangay Secretary Stephen Angelo P. Enriquez | “... pero kung mayroon kaming specific na problem, top one, basura… may mga steps naman na ang barangay na isinasagawa, may mga sinusunod na memorandum order… pinakamainam sa lahat ay ‘yung people's participation. So, kahit anong initiative ng barangay, kung wala rin namang participation nung mga nasa community itself baliwala rin.”
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Sangguniang Kabataan Kathrina Mae Mendoza | “Ang kinahaharap na isyu o problema ng barangay as of now is basura… main problem natin ngayon since nasa gitna nga tayo, bayan ng Santa Maria, usually tayo ‘yung may mas access sa hospital, sa barangay, sa park, different fast food chains kaya kahit ano, need talaga ng participation ng mga kabarangay Poblacion na ma-lessen ‘yung basura.”
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In Photos: Barangay Secretary, Stephen Angelo Enriquez
Interviewees | Question #2: Ano ang iyong masasabi patungkol sa problema ng inyong barangay? |
Barangay Captain Oscar DG. Morales, Jr. | “... para sa nakikita ko, normal na at kasama talaga sa buhay natin, pero nagsisikap 'yung barangay namin na kumbaga araw-araw 'yan mahakot, at every week ay nagco-conduct kami ng clean-up drive, hinihikayat din namin 'yung mga kabarangay namin na… kabarangay man o hindi kabarangay, 'yung mga non-government organization na maki-isa sa 'amin para... Mapagtulung-tulungan at makasama namin sa paglilinis.”
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Barangay Secretary Stephen Angelo P. Enriquez
| “Pinaka root cause number one is yung lack of education when it comes to environmental awareness ng mga tao… For example, sa isang ordinaryong tao, pagka grocery mo, tapon mo na, wala siyang pakialam, ang pakialam lang niya is yung surroundings lang niya itself pero when it comes to… sa labas, hindi na, wala na siya. Sa loob ng bakuran niya roon [lang] ‘yung kanyang pakialam.”
“Tapos, pangalawang problema riyan is meron ba siyang pakialam (?) napaka babaw nga lang ng kanyang kaalaman pagdating sa environmental education. So, ‘yun. Hindi niya alam kung ano ‘yung, “pag ba ako, nagtapon ng wrap of candy mayroon bang maliit o malaking effect ito sa komunidad, sa environment?” Hindi niya nakikita ‘yun. Nakikita lang niya, maliit lang ‘yan. Nawawala kasi ‘yung disiplina pagdating sa pag-aaral ng basura. |
Sangguniang Kabataan Kathrina Mae Mendoza | “Ang masasabi ko sa ganitong problema is mapapansin natin na lack of discipline ‘yung mga ating kabarangay at kinakailangan natin na magkaroon [ng] participation sila, especially every week mayroong clean-up drive to lessen ‘yung mga basura rito sa barangay natin kasi kapag mayroong clean-up drive na pe-prevent natin ‘yung cause ng blockage ng drainage na pwedeng maglead sa pagbaha.”
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In Photos: SK Kagawad, Kathrina Mae Mendoza
Interviewees | Question #3: Ano po ang inyong plano o aksyon sa kinahaharap na isyu o problema ng inyong barangay? |
Barangay Captain Oscar DG. Morales, Jr. | “... syempre mag impose ng disiplina, which is 'yun 'yung pinakamahirap, pero gano'n pa man hindi titigil ang barangay, hindi tayo titigil na hikayatin ang ating mga kabarangay… kumbaga limitahan 'yung paggamit nung mga... 'yung plastic, kumbaga imbis na plastic eh 'yung mga reusable na pwede nating magamit para... At least 'yun makabawas tayo diba… maibsan 'yung dami na itinatapon… mag segregate at pangalagaan din natin 'yung syempre 'yung kapaligiran natin, ayon.”
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Barangay Secretary Stephen Angelo P. Enriquez
| “... pagdating sa action, number one, kami ay minamandate ng DILG, National Government, na magkaroon ng “Kalinisan Rate” every weekend. Mayroon din ‘yung tinatawag na Manila Bay Clean-up Drive… ‘Yun ‘yung pinaka… sabihin nating… simple way ng step. Pero sa kasalukuyan kasi, mayroon tayo ‘yung tinatawag na mga ordinansa. ‘Yung mga ordinansa o mga batas na tungkol sa pag-aayos ng basura, na “No segregation, No collection policy.”
“... medyo mahirap kasi na i-implement ‘yung “no segregation, no collection policy”, Why? Hindi kasi naiintindihan ng tao ‘yung pag-i-schedule ng hakot ng basura. Gustuhin man namin na lunes lahat na nabubulok ang mga non-biodegradable, o mga biodegradable ay aming hakutin ng araw na yun. Hindi namin magagawa yun. Bakit? Kasi sa bahay mismo, halo na yung basura. I-implement mo ‘yun, galit ang tao sa iyo… pag nagalit sa iyo ang tao, hindi ka na iboboto n’yan kahit mabuti ang gusto mong gawin, I will guarantee you.”
Eh kami kakagaling lang namin sa election. Kakapanalo lang namin. Sa palagay mo ba kami pagnaghigpit, buboto kami ng tao? Hindi. So, dapat kung gusto nyong umayos, umayos din ang utak ng tao. Na gagawin namin yung trabaho namin, pero huwag kayong magagalit sa amin st kami pa rin ang iboboto ninyo kasi tama ang ginagawa namin. Unfortunately, hindi ganun ang kaisipan ng mga botante. Ang gusto lang nila, mairaos yung gusto nila. Turuan mo na maghiwalay ka ng basura, nabubulok, hindi nabubulok at pag nag-schedule ka, pinaghahakot ng basura na hindi naghihiwalay ang basura, ireklamo pa kami sa DILG niyan at ang gagawin naman ng DILG, didinggin yung reklamo na hindi kami nag-hahakot. Pero meron kaming no segregation, no hakot policy.
Alam nyo yun, yung napakalaking, sorry ah kahit on the record, napakalaking kabobohan at katangahan ang nangyayari. Gusto mo mag-implement ng ayos, pero ayaw ng tao. Ang gusto ng tao, magreklamo lang, kasi gusto nila, convenience lang ng lahat.
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Sangguniang Kabataan Kathrina Mae Mendoza | “... bilang kabilang sa Sangguniang kabataan ng barangay Poblacion, ang main ginagawa natin for this month and for the following month[s] is clean-up drive na na-pe-persuade natin ‘yung mga kabataan na makapag-inspire na kumilos para sa‘ting kapaligiran, kasi kapag kapaligiran tayo rin naman nag-be-benifit dito, hindi lang naman ako, hindi lang ikaw, kumbaga lahat, para sa ikabubuti na rin natin tsaka mas okay kapag malinis mas presentable tignan barangay natin.” |
Conclusion:
After our in-depth conversation with the representatives from the local government it shows that the results from our survey report from the citizens of Barangay Poblacion and the Barangay Officials has also the same concerns regarding the critical issues of waste control, flooding, and traffic congestion. It's clear that they are working tirelessly in providing the best care they possibly could. Their acknowledgment of these challenges within the community and building a sustainable plan and proactive steps being taken to address them are commendable.
With the long battle of waste mitigation, The LGU in Barangay Poblacion launched a program called "Kalinisan sa Bagong Pilipinas" which aims to encourage everyone to become part of the change in terms of taking care of the environment. They guaranteed us that with the help and participation of everyone, anything is possible. Aside from that, they implemented recycling initiatives and community education programs. They emphasized the importance of collaboration between authorities and citizens to promote responsible waste disposal practices and reduce environmental impact.
The local administration presented extensive plans for mitigating flooding that included improvements to drainage systems, early warning systems, and infrastructure. They emphasized the importance of environmentally responsible development and strategic urban planning in reducing flood risks and protecting vulnerable people.
In general, the interview provides valuable insights into the issues and worries that local politicians and individuals face. Additionally, they emphasized the significance of continuous collaboration and engagement from everyone involved, including residents, businesses, and community organizations. By coming together, we can help develop innovative and sustainable solutions that improve everyone in our community's quality of life.
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Want to view the whole interview? Here's the link to the full transcript.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XSeNRORJhZdwDk_z0ZZn26wcLVOPXPVhOw3nyHgqWf0/edit?usp=sharing
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