Chosen Community: Barangay Caingin, City of Malolos, Bulacan
In my previous blog, I conducted a survey of community issues/problems among citizens of my chosen Barangay, which is Barangay Caingin in the City of Malolos, Bulacan, in order to learn and understand more about the community struggles that citizens of the said Barangay encounter on a daily basis. Gladly, I got the answers I am looking for. I discovered that the community issue of noise pollution receives the most citations among the respondents.
There is a solution to every problem. And now, in this blog, we will get to know about the community problems that local officials of Barangay Caingin noticed, wanted to address, and desired to solve, as well as the solutions they have in mind to make progress in the community..
Since the barangay acts as the community's primary planning and executing unit for government policies, plans, programs, projects, and activities, as well as a platform for people's collective ideas to be voiced, collected, and considered, and for differences to be amicably addressed. Hence, the viewpoints and insights of Barangay local officials are significant in resolving community issues.
Table 1. Demographic Profile
The table above shows the summary of information of the officials when I conducted the interview. One is our barangay councilor and the other one is our barangay secretary.
In order for my interviewees, who are our Barangay Officials, to better understand me. I believe it would be better if I could directly question them about the topics they think are a concern in our barangay. Hence, I went to our Barangay Hall and politely asked if I might interview some of our Brgy members. Yes, said the officials. In addition, I kept the conversation casual yet professional to prolong and dive further into the respondents' comments. I asked the questions in Filipino in order to get a more realistic standpoint, create a more comfortable atmosphere, and encourage our Barangay authorities to share more particular facts.
Table 2. Community problems the officials want to address
The table above illustrates the concerns that the Barangay Officials have seen and intend to address.
Our Barangay Councilor, Ms. Remelyn DR. Santos, mentioned the following significant problems in our community: stray dogs, scattered garbage, and the loudness of people drinking on the side of the road. Our Barrio Secretary, Ms. Rea Tan Juan, also mentioned stray dogs, youth noise pollution at night, and the failure to accomplish large projects in the barangay due to a lack of funds.
I noticed that the two barangay officials highlighted both stray dogs and the sounds of people drinking on the side of the road every night in their responses. When comparing this survey to my last survey, in which my respondents were citizens of Barangay Caingin, the stray dogs and people's noise were practically identically reported complaints.
Since my respondents now are officials of the community, I asked them what are their thoughts and ideas about the issues they are raising.
"Hangarin namin na maging disiplinado ang mga mamamayan tungkol sa pag iingay at magkaroon ng tamang panuntunan at oras tungkol sa bagay na ito dahil ito ay isa sa palaging reklamo sa amin ng mga tao dahil nakaka-apekto ito sa karamihan"
"Magkakaroon nang maayos na tapunanan ng basura ang buong mamamayan ng Barangay. Magpapatupad ng mga libreng vaccination para sa mga may alagang aso/pusa sa barangay."
"Maging malinis ang buong barangay at matuto ang mga mamayan sa tamang paraan ng segregation ng kanilang mga basura at maisasagawa ito dahil nakikipag-ugnayan ang barangay sa lokal na pamahalaan upang matulungan sa suliranin sa lumalamig na issue sa basura at magkaroon ng mahigpit na implementasyon hinggil dito."
Following my interview with our local officials, I realized that our leaders see, hear, and care about us, the residents of Barangay Caingin. Furthermore, citizen journalism will contribute to the improvement and advancement of society. As a member of the community, I am relieved to hear that our elected representatives are concerned about the issues that we all face on a daily basis.
Barangay governance plays an important role in the community, but we citizens must remember that we are also a part of society, and if we communicate effectively and help to improve the community, it would be easier for everyone to live in a better environment.
We should always remember the life-changing power and importance of Human Connection.
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