ANGELES CITY -- A village chief in this city has urged business establishments, non-government organizations, and government agencies to honor barangay-issued identification cards (IDs).
Reynaldo Gueco, chieftain of Malabanias village, issued the statement after a resident of the said village suffered an unpleasant experience with personnel of an electric company who allegedly refused to honor a barangay-issued ID.
Gueco cited the ID system at the barangay level as provided for under the Local Government Code.
"Section 394 (d) (6) of the Local Government Code provides that the barangay secretary shall keep an updated record of all inhabitants of the barangay containing the following items of information: name address, place and date of birth, sex, civil status, citizenship, occupation, and such other items of information as maybe prescribed by law or ordinance. In operationalizing this particular provision, the barangay government may issue IDs to its inhabitants containing the information enumerated by Section 394 (d)(6) of the Local Government Code and such other information as may be prescribed by law or ordinance," Gueco quoted.
In the implementation of the ID System at the barangay level, the punong barangays may issue Executive Orders in furtherance of Section 394 (d) (6) of the Local Government Code, Gueco said.
Pending the enactment by Congress of a law providing for the National ID System, local government units can already provide ordinances invoking its “Police Power” which are local laws, providing for their local ID system, he added.
Gueco said that the Liga ng mga Barangay, under the leadership of Carlito Ganzon, has adopted a resolution of the Barangay Malabanias council asking business establishments, non-government organizations (NGOs), government agencies and other entities to recognize the barangay IDs.
The barangay official said members of the City Council, including Councilor Jericho Aguas and others, expressed support to the barangay resolution.
The city councilors are now planning to propose an ordinance compelling commercial establishments, NGOs, and other government agencies to honor the barangay IDs as legal.
“A barangay ID is valid and legal just like government-issued driver’s license, passport, voters ID, and others considering it was issued by a local government unit,” Gueco said.
