Citizen and Community Journalism: Community Issues and Problems among Local Officials of Brgy. Maguinao, San Rafael, Bulacan

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Baltazar, Ron Christian 

Landayan, Jersey Chloe Lae

Torres, Althea

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Citizen and Community Journalism 

Community Issues and Problems through Local Officials of Brgy. Maguinao, San Rafael, Bulacan

Barangay Officials Profile

NAME	AGE	SEX	POSITION
Imelda Landayan	49	F	Barangay Captain
Catherine Garcia	45	F	Barangay Secretary
Susan Angeles	62	F	Councilor

Table 1. Barangay officials profile 

Findings 

Problems faced by the community	Description	Possible causes	Actions by the local government
Clogged drainage system	Residents frequently dump their garbage on the drainage canals causing flooding during the rainy season, especially when a strong typhoon hits the area. This has been happening since 15-30 years ago.	Lack of discipline among the residents; Another factor is the connected problem of the high number of stray dogs and the improper waste management of its citizens.	Regular cleaning of water drainages, weekly clean up drive, and managing  Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) programs.
High number of stray dogs in the street	Owners release their dogs every night, posing a threat to the safety of passersby. The dogs litter and urinate in the community area, leading to unsanitary conditions. Additionally, there have been some reported cases of dog bites in the area.	Irresponsible owners	Administering anti-rabies vaccines every summer, enforcing Barangay ordinances on properly leashing pet dogs for public safety and responsible pet ownership, and hiring a private worker to clean the area.
High blotter rate		Growing numbers of apartment rentals– tenants may not get along well with native residents in the community.

Table 2. Discussion of the result in table

After conducting a survey among local officials of  Brgy. Maguinao regarding community issues and problems last February 6, the results showed that the main problems in the community are clogged drainage system, high number of stray dogs in the street, improper waste management among citizens, and high blotter rate.  

Photos: some of the streets and drainage canals in Brgy. Maguinao

Among  the three local officials, namely the Barangay captain, Barangay councilor, and Barangay secretary, all of them mentioned the problem regarding the clogged drainage system that results in flooding during heavy rains.  It was mentioned that the high number of stray dogs and the lack of discipline among citizens are the main factors that cause this problem. 

Meanwhile, high blotter rate was briefly mentioned by one of the three respondents. 

The local government claimed that they continuously and consistently conduct programs and projects to aid these problems, such as cleaning of water drainages, clean up drives, Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) programs, administering anti-rabies vaccines, and enforcing Barangay ordinances. 

Conclusion 

The problem of clogged drainage systems that results in flooding has been mentioned the most by the local officials. The lack of discipline among the residents, as well as the aforementioned connected problem of high number of stray dogs and the citizen’s improper waste management was said to be the main factors of this problem. Despite the local government’s effort in carrying out different policies and programs, these problems still occur due to different influences, such as lack of discipline and irresponsibility among some residents. 

Audio: Clip from Capt. Imelda’s interview

The problem of clogged drainage systems that results in flooding has been mentioned the most by the local officials. The lack of discipline among the residents, as well as the aforementioned connected problem of high number of stray dogs and the citizen’s improper waste management was said to be the main factors of this problem. Despite the local government’s effort in carrying out different policies and programs, these problems still occur due to different influences, such as lack of discipline and irresponsibility among some residents.