A barangay councilor ( or ) is an elected government official who is a member of the Sangguniang Barangay (Barangay Council) of a particular

barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...

, the smallest political unit in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Each barangay council has seven regular councilors who are elected

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

multi-member plurality Plurality block voting is a type of block voting method for Multiwinner voting, multi-winner elections. Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of seats to be filled. The candidates with the most votes are elected. The usual result when ...

voting. Barangay councilors are elected to three-year terms and are term-limited to three consecutive terms. The chairperson of the

Sangguniang Kabataan A Sangguniang Kabataan (abbreviated as SK; ) is a community council that represents the youth in a barangay in the Philippines. Established to provide young people with a platform for civic engagement and participation in Local government in ...

(barangay's youth council) who is elected by voters aged 15 to 30 years old, is the ''ex officio'' eighth councilor. Some barangays with a population of

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

have an Indigenous People's Mandatory Representative (IPMR) as the ex officio ninth councilor albeit elected separately. The barangay councilors serve as the

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

of the barangay, while the barangay captain () serves as the chief executive, together forming the Sangguniang Barangay.

Composition

Each barangay has seven regular kagawads who are elected through

voting: voters may vote for up to seven candidates, and the seven candidates with the highest number of votes are elected. Under the Local Government Code of 1991 ( Republic Act 7160 as amended) ''Barangay kagawads'' are elected to three-year terms, and are

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, w ...

ed to three consecutive terms, for a total of nine years. They are elected during

barangay elections Barangay elections are elections in the Philippines in the barangays, the smallest of the administrative divisions in the Philippines. Barangays make up Cities of the Philippines, cities and Municipalities of the Philippines, municipalities and ...

, the most recent being the ones held on October 30, 2023.

Authority

Under Article 152 of the

Revised Penal Code The Revised Penal Code contains the general penal laws of the Philippines. First enacted in 1930, it remains in effect today, despite several amendments thereto. It does not comprise a comprehensive compendium of all Philippine penal laws. The ...

of the

, the barangay captain, members of barangay council, and members of the lupong tagapamayapa are considered persons in authority within their areas of jurisdiction.

Duties and responsibilities

As part of the Sangguniang Barangay, barangay kagawads are expected to do the following, among others: (a) help in establishing, organizing, and promoting cooperative enterprises to improve the economic condition and well-being of the residents; (b) assist in regulating the use of multi-purpose halls, multi-purpose pavements, grain or copra dryers, patios and other post-harvest facilities, barangay waterworks, barangay markets, parking areas or other similar facilities constructed using government funds within the jurisdiction of the barangay and charge reasonable fees for its use; (c) assist in organizing community brigades, barangay tanod, or community service units as may be necessary; (d) assist in organizing regular lectures, programs, or fora on community problems such as sanitation, nutrition, literacy, and drug abuse, and convene assemblies to encourage citizen participation in government; (e) assist in adopting measures to prevent and control the proliferation of squatters and mendicants in the barangay; (f) assist in providing for the proper development and welfare of children in the barangay by promoting and supporting activities for the protection and total development of children, particularly those below seven (7) years of age; (g) assist in adopting measures for the prevention and eradication of drug abuse, child abuse, and juvenile delinquency; (h) assist in initiating the establishment of a barangay high school, whenever feasible, in accordance with law; (i) assist in establishing a non-formal education center in the barangay whenever feasible, in coordination concerned government agencies; and (j) assist in the delivery of basic services.

Benefits and compensation

Under the Local Government Code of 1991, a ''punong barangay'' shall receive an honorarium of not less than ₱50,000 per month while barangay kagawads shall get honoraria of ₱30,000 per month which may be adjusted as provided for in Executive Order No. 332. Aside from this, they also receive cash gift as Christmas bonus, insurance coverage, free hospitalization in government hospitals and free tuition and matriculation fees in government schools in their area for two of their legitimate dependent children for the duration of their terms only.

References

{{reflist Barangays of the Philippines Local politicians in the Philippines Positions of subnational authority