MABUHAY,ZSP- Department of the Interior and Local Government of Mabuhay oriented the barangay officials on the newly launched Bottom Up Budgeting for the Barangay Level on March 17, 2016 at Mabuhay Central Elementary School, Conference Room, Mabuhay, ZSP.

Participants, coming from the 18 villages of the town, are the Punong Barangays, Secretary, Treasurer and Sangguniang Barangay Chairperson on Appropriation. In a message, Liga ng mga Barangay President Hilario P. Bajin said that the cascading of the national funding in the barangays is a proof that the nation recognizes the grassroots especially the vulnerable sector as well as the Civil Society Organizations.

” Malaking tulong ito sa mga barangay para malaanan ng pundo ang mga proyektong inaasam ng ating komunidad.”he said.

Meanwhile, OIC Municipal Local Government Operations Officer Lemuel Mejares said that the BUB4Barangay, which was launched on February, aims to reduce poverty and promote good governance at the local level.

“Through this program, LGUs engage civil society and community organizations in identifying priority poverty reduction programs and projects, the funding requirements for which are incorporated in the proposed national budget.” He said.

QUALIFICATIONS

Four criteria were set for the barangays that will receive Php1M for development projects.

These criteria include the Full Compliant to Barangay Full Disclosure Policy, Presence of the Barangay Development Plan, Conduct of Barangay Assembly and Diagnostic Tools that measure the leadership performance, track record and financial capacity of the barangay.

It can be recalled that on February 2016, President Benigno S. Aquino III launched the Barangay Bottom-Up Budgeting to expand and bring the internationally recognized BuB program to the barangay level beginning FY 2017.

This expansion will build on the experiences of the implementation of BuB at the city/municipal level, as well as other community-based development programs such as the DSWD KALAHI-CIDSS Program.

The program seeks to cover all barangays by FY 2019, starting with a pilot phase covering at least 30% of barangays in FY 2017.

However, barangays that are not yet ready to receive national funds in FY 2017 will be provided with capacity development intervention responsive to the results of the diagnostic tool, to prepare them for their participation in the BBuB program in the succeeding years. #