Barangay Information System

The project is an action-research designed to come up with a model for enabling barangays to establish and maintain a Barangay Information System (BIS) for rural development planning and implementation. Specifically, the study aimed at: (a) providing a profile of LGU officials in the barangay, (b) determining the barangay leaders’ knowledge of and perception about the barangay hall as a base for BIS; (c) finding out the existing information systems in the barangay; (d) documenting the process involved is establishing and maintaining a BIS; (e) identifying the facilitating and hindering factors in the barangay’s establishment of BIS; and (f) drawing up a model and other recommendations that may guide in the future implementation and replication of BIS.

Results revealed that majority of the respondents perceived their barangay hall as very useful in terms of serving as venue for meetings and as source of vital information about the barangay and its people. However, they felt the information is inadequate to be basis for planning and in responding to information request from local government offices. They also felt there is still a need to improve its surroundings and provide facilities like chairs, tables, cabinets and enrich the information available in the place. As regards BIS implementation process of the nine barangays, there were commonalities among the barangays in following a basic implementation process from orientation meeting to data storage and updating.

However, there were also observed peculiarities on data gathering techniques and logistics wherein some barangay officials voluntarily use their own money for supplies and materials and even provided snacks for BISD Team members during data gathering, data posting/tabulation and data presentation so the activities will not be delayed. The local officials’ educational attainment and training were the factors that contributed to early completion of BIS activities in some barangays while the observed hindering factors were the change in political leadership; lack of logistics; geographical dispersion of houses and number of households; socio-economic preoccupations of household respondents and BIS team members; and turn-over of BIS team members as a result of the local elections held in 1997. The following recommendations were given: barangays should allocate budget for BIS activities, training opportunities should be provided to local leaders and inter-barangay visitation of BIS team members.