WE SHOUT service; we promise service...do we fulfill it? The good that a barangay leader does should be done too by the people under him.
What good are you if the principles you believe in and the services you promise are not practised nor implemented by the councilors who are supposed to help you? All else follows.
A strong leadership seeps down to the littlest assistants of the councilors who implement the promised services of the barangay head.
If "kapitan" promises something to be done, he should do it under pain of lost credibility. And more importantly, his presence among his constituents should be felt by all.
What use is a barangay captain who is absent from his duties and difficult to communicate with? What use is he who promises a citizen he will extend a service but cannot follow it up nor promulgate it successfully?
Extension of barangay services and cooperation among other heads should at all times define leadership in our very basic unit of government. We cannot afford to extend services to our barangay, but refuse these same things to the neighboring barangays where our assistance can be of much help.
Case in point: when the garbage disposal system of one barangay cannot reach the residents with ease, but another barangay can offer this same service so easily, it's plain logic and humaneness that should dictate our action.
Extend your services to the ones who need them! If my barangay's disposal service is 20 houses away from my residence but the next barangay's service is just 5 houses below me, does conscience and common sense, not dictate that the next barangay whose service is nearest me, should cooperate and allow this service to spread out to those who need it?
The "tayo-tayo" system still lingers among some people belonging to a particular barangay. Even when some residents are not part of another barangay's jurisdiction, basic humanitarian service should never be denied to those who need them.
After all, barangay leaders should put it in their heads that the service they do is for the whole nation, AND for each and ANY Filipino or resident of this country who may go to them for help.
Whatever rituals or practices there may be in a particular barangay are theirs to implement but when it comes to serving people, this should be for everyone, especially or even if, a particular service can be given only by the next barangay!
Cooperation and team work are so important in leadership to be effective. The more people your services reach, the better leader you are and so, barangay captains should help one another make our city cleaner, healthier, more effective, more serviceable and more beautiful than what we have now.
Help one another maximize services and assist each other to reach as many people as possible in the implementation of basic services. Whether these people are your barangay members or not, include them in the good that you can do while you are still in the position to do so. Spread your services around and you'll spread your wings as well.
For all barangay heads, be sure that the services required from you, really reach each and every member of your jurisdiction to avoid confusion among your people and bring on better lives and environments that are easier to live in and be part of. God bless you all on Election Day.
Baguio I love you!
