The 210 barangay kagawads of Dumaguete City will form an association this month, after Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria and Vice Mayor Woodrow Maquiling disclosed plans to revive the organization of kagawads in a meeting with the Department of Interior and Local Government officials Thursday.

Maquilingsaid the kagawads have the numbers to dominate the local political scene. With 557 barangays in Negros Oriental, there are 3,899, kagawads and more than 290,000 from 42,000 local government units nationwide, he added.

He said the kagawad association aims to unite and strengthen them in realizing plans and aspirations for their barangays.There are also plans to enable them to pass quality legislations and enhance their skills, he said.

Sagarbarria said kagawads can organize themselves, like town or city councilors, board members, mayors, vice mayors, and governors. In fact, he said, under the Local Government Code, LGUs are mandated to support the formation of non-government organizations, peoples’ and government organizations.

He cited the Quezon City move an active and effectively-run association of barangay kagawads.

A former president of the Dumaguete Association of Barangay Kagawads in 1999 said their main concern then was funding.

During meetings, the officers were told to bring their own provisions, unlike meetings called by the Liga ng mga Barangay Captains where snacks were provided, with funds taken from the Internal Revenue Allotment share of the 30 barangays in Dumaguete.

Sagarbarria and Maquiling said they are willing to help revive the association and look for solutions to problems raised by past officers of the local kagawad league.*JG

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