A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines, equivalent to a village, district, or ward. Barangays are further divided into smaller areas called puroks and may contain sitios. Municipalities and cities are composed of multiple barangays. There are currently over 42,000 barangays throughout the Philippines. Historically, barangays started as small coastal communities of 50-100 families and grew in size. Under Spanish rule, barangays were combined into towns headed by a barangay chief. The modern barangay is headed by an elected Punong Barangay and governed by a Sangguniang Barangay. Elections for barangay positions are typically hot

1. Barangay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the political administrative division. For the pre-hispanic village system of
the Philippines, see Barangay (pre-colonial).
Philippines
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
the Philippines
Government
• Constitution
Legislature
• Congress (15th Congress)
• Senate
o Senate President
o Current senators
• House of Representatives
o Speaker
o Legislative districts
o Sectoral representation
Executive
• President (list)
o Benigno Aquino III
• Vice President (list)
o Jejomar Binay
• Cabinet
• Executive departments
Judiciary

2. • Supreme Court
o Chief Justice
 Renato Corona
• Court of Appeals
• Court of Tax Appeals
• Sandiganbayan
• Ombudsman
Elections
• Commission on Elections
o Chairman: Sixto Brillantes
• Elections:
o 2010 | 2007 | 2004 | All
Political parties
• Liberal
• Lakas-Kampi
• NPC
• Nacionalista
• PMP
• PDP-Laban
• LDP
• KBL
• Others
Subdivisions
• Local government
o Capital
o Regions
o Provinces
o Cities
o Municipalities
o Barangays
Related topics
• Foreign relations
• Human rights
Other countries · Atlas
Philippine Government Portal
view · talk · edit
A barangay (Filipino: baranggay, [baɾaŋˈɡaj]) is the smallest administrative division in the
Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. Barangays are further

3. subdivided into smaller areas called Puroks (English: Zone). A sitio is a territorial enclave inside
a barangay, especially in rural areas. Municipalities and cities are composed of barangays. In
place names barangay is sometimes abbreviated as "Brgy." or "Bgy.". As of June 28, 2011 there
are a total of 42,026 barangays throughout the Philippines.[1]
Contents
• 1 History
• 2 Organization
• 3 Other uses
• 4 See also
• 5 Bibliography
• 6 Notes
• 7 External links
[edit] History
Further information: History of the Barangay before Hispanization
When the first Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they found the Filipinos having a
civilization of their own and some living in well-organized independent villages called
barangays. The name barangay originated from balangay, a Malay word meaning "sailboat".[2]
The term barangay was adopted and barangay structure defined in the modern context during the
administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, replacing the old barrios and municipal councils.
The barangays were eventually codified under the 1991 Local Government Code. The word
"barangay" was derived from an ancient Malayo-Polynesian boat called a balangay.
Historically, the first barangays started as relatively small communities of around 50 to 100
families. By the time of contact with Spaniards, many barangays have developed into large
communties. The encomienda of 1604 shows that many affluent and powerful coastal barangays
in Sulu, Butuan, Panay,[3] Leyte and Cebu, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Pasig, Laguna, and Cagayan
River were flourishing trading centers. Some of these barangays had large populations. In Panay,
some barangays had 20,000 inhabitants; in Leyte (Baybay), 15,000 inhabitants; in Cebu, 3,500
residents; in Vitis (Pampanga), 7,000 inhabitants; Pangsinan, 4,000 residents. There were smaller
barangays with less number of people. But these were generally inland communities; or if they
were coastal, they were not located in areas which were good for business pursuits.[4] These
smaller barangays had around thirty to one hundred houses only, and the population varies from
one hundred to five hundred persons. According to Legazpi, he found communities with twenty
to thirty people only.
Theories, as well as local oral traditions,[5] say that the original “barangays” were coastal
settlements formed as a result of the migration of these Malayo-Polynesian people (who came to
the archipelago) by boat from other places in Southeast Asia (see chiefdom). Most of the ancient

4. barangays were coastal or riverine in nature. This is because most of the people were relying on
fishing for supply of protein and for their livelihood. They also travelled mostly by water up and
down rivers, and along the coasts. Trails always followed river systems, which were also a major
source of water for bathing, washing, and drinking.
A golden belt found in Butuan Archeological Digs - a testimony of the wealth and power of the
precolonial civilization in Butuan.
The coastal barangays were more accessible to trade with foreigners. These were ideal places for
economic activity to develop. Business with traders from other Countries also meant contact with
other cultures and civilizations, such as those of Japan, Han Chinese, Indian people, and Arab
people.[6] These coastal communities acquired more cosmopolitan cultures, with developed social
structures (sovereign principalities), ruled by established royalties and nobilities.
During the Spanish rule in the Archipelga, smaller ancient barangays were combined to form
towns. Every barangay within a town was headed by the cabeza de barangay (barangay chief),
who formed part of the Principalía - the elite ruling class of the municipalities of the Spanish
Philippines. This position was inherited from the first datus, and came to be known as such
during the Spanish regime. The Spanish Monarch ruled each barangay through the Cabeza, who
also collected taxes (called tribute) from the residents for the Spanish Crown.
When the Americans arrived, the term barrio went into prominence, as the barangays were
called by that name. The term was kept for much of the twentieth century until President
Ferdinand Marcos ordered the renaming of barrios back to barangays. The name has stuck ever
since, though some people still use the old term. The Municipal Council was abolished upon
transfer of powers to the barangay system. Marcos used to call the barangay part of Philippine
participatory democracy. Most of his writings involving the New Society which he envisioned,
praised the role of baranganic democracy in nation-building.
After the EDSA Revolution and the drafting of the 1987 Constitution, the Municipal Council
was restored, making the barangay the smallest unit of government in Philippine politics.
[edit] Organization

5. The modern barangay is headed by an elected official, the Punong Barangay (barangay
chairman/captain), who is aided by Sangguniang Barangay (Barangay Council) members
(barangay 'kagawads' or councilors), also elected. Barangay elections, while non-partisan on
paper, are typically hotly contested. The barangay captain is via simple plurality (no runoff
voting) while the councilors are elected via plurality-at-large voting with the entire barangay as a
single at-large district: each voter can vote up to seven candidates, with the seven candidates
with the most number of votes being elected. Typically, a ticket usually consists of one candidate
for barangay captain and seven candidates for the councilors. Elections for the post of Punong
Barangay and barangay kagawads are usually held every three years starting from 2007, unless
suspended or postponed by Congress.
The barangay is governed from the barangay hall. A barangay tanod/barangay police
(watchman) forms policing functions within the barangay. The number of barangay tanods differ
from one barangay to another; they help maintain law and order in the neighborhoods throughout
the Philippines.
Barangays are led and governed by its barangay officials. The "barangay officials" are
considered to be Local Government Unit (LGU), similarly to the Provincial and the Municipal
Government. Barangays are composed of a Punong Barangay, seven (7) Barangay Councilors or
Barangay Kagawad, and a Youth Council or Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Chairman which is
considered as a member of the Council. Thus, there are eight (8) members of the Legislative
Council in a barangay.[7] Each member has its own respective committee where they are
Chairmen of those committees. The Committees are the following: (1) Education Committee, (2)
Peace and Order Committee, (3) Appropriations, Finance and Ways and Means Committee, (4)
Health Committee, (5) Agriculture Committee, (6) Tourism Committee, (7) Infrastructure
Committee, and (8) Youth and Sports Committee. There are three (3) appointed members of each
committee. The Barangay Justice System is composed of members commonly known as "Lupon
Tagapamayapa" (Justice of the peace) which function to conciliate and mediate disputes at the
Barangay level so as to avoid legal action and relieve the courts of docket congestion.
[edit] Other uses
• There exists a union of barangays in the Philippines: the Liga ng mga Barangay (English:
League of Barangays), more commonly referred to by its previous name, Association of
Barangay Captains (ABC). Representing all 41,995 barangays, it is the largest grassroots
organization in the Philippines. Its current president is Rico Judge "RJ" Echiverri, son of
current Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri.
• The term "barangay" may also refer to a very large number or group of people. An
example is the name given to the supporters of the Ginebra San Miguel basketball team,
Barangay Ginebra. In 1999, the team was renamed Barangay Ginebra Kings in homage
to its fans.
[edit] See also

6. • Barangay Health Volunteers
• Balangay
• Purok
• Sitio
[edit] Bibliography
• Constantino, Renato. (1975) The Philippines: A Past Revisited (volume 1). ISBN
971-8958-00-2
• Mamuel Merino, O.S.A., ed., Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas (1565–1615), Madrid:
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 1975.
[edit] Notes
1. ^ Philippine Standard Geographic Code Summary. Accessed on March 22, 2007.
2. ^ Zaide, Sonia M. (1999), The Philippines: A Unique Nation, All-Nations Publishing,
pp. 62, 420, ISBN 9716420714, citing Plasencia, Fray Juan de (1589), Customs of the
Tagalogs, Nagcarlin, Laguna, http://www.filipiniana.net/Search.do?searchString=
%20Plasencia,%20Juan%20de
^ Junker, Laura Lee (2000), Raiding, Trading, and Feasting: The Political Economy of
Philippine Chiefdoms, Ateneo de Manila University Press, pp. 74, 130,
ISBN 9789715503471, http://books.google.com/?id=Lbsfi30OXgMC ISBN 9715503470,
ISBN 9789715503471.
3. ^ During the early part of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines the Spanish
Augustinian Friar, Gaspar de San Agustín, O.S.A., describes Iloilo and Panay as one of
the most populated islands in the archipelago and the most fertile of all the islands of the
Philippines. He also talks about Iloilo, particularly the ancient settlement of Halaur, as
site of a progressive trading post and a court of illustrious nobilities. The friar says: Es la
isla de Panay muy parecida a la de Sicilia, así por su forma triangular come por su
fertilidad y abundancia de bastimentos... Es la isla más poblada, después de Manila y
Mindanao, y una de las mayores, por bojear más de cien leguas. En fertilidad y
abundancia es en todas la primera... El otro corre al oeste con el nombre de Alaguer
[Halaur], desembocando en el mar a dos leguas de distancia de Dumangas...Es el pueblo
muy hermoso, ameno y muy lleno de palmares de cocos. Antiguamente era el emporio y
corte de la más lucida nobleza de toda aquella isla...Mamuel Merino, O.S.A., ed.,
Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas (1565-1615), Madrid: Consejo Superior de
Investigaciones Cientificas, 1975, pp. 374-376.
4. ^ Cf. F. Landa Jocano, Filipino Prehistory: Rediscovering Precolonial Heritage (1998),
pp. 157-158, 164
5. ^ Cf. Maragtas (book)
6. ^ The Cultural Influences of India, China, Arabia, and Japan
7. ^ "Local Government Code of the Philippines". Chan Robles Law Library.
http://www.chanrobles.com/localgov.htm..
[edit] External links

7. • Katarungang Pambarangay Handbook
• Liga ng mga Barangay (League of Barangays)
• Liga ng mga Barangay NCR / Barangay Congress

8. v · d · ePolitical divisions of the Philippines
Capital
Manila • National Capital Region
Autonomous region
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Provinces
A (Abra • Agusan del Norte • Agusan del Sur • Aklan • Albay • Antique • Apayao • Aurora) • B
(Basilan • Bataan • Batanes • Batangas • Benguet • Biliran • Bohol • Bukidnon • Bulacan) • C
(Cagayan • Camarines Norte • Camarines Sur • Camiguin • Capiz • Catanduanes • Cavite •
Cebu • Compostela Valley • Cotabato) • D (Davao del Norte • Davao del Sur • Davao Oriental •
Dinagat Islands) • E (Eastern Samar) • G (Guimaras) • I (Ifugao • Ilocos Norte • Ilocos Sur •
Iloilo • Isabela) • K (Kalinga) • L (La Union • Laguna • Lanao del Norte • Lanao del Sur •
Leyte) • M (Maguindanao • Marinduque • Masbate • Misamis Occidental • Misamis Oriental •
Mountain Province) • N (Negros Occidental • Negros Oriental • Northern Samar • Nueva Ecija •
Nueva Vizcaya) • O (Occidental Mindoro • Oriental Mindoro) • P (Palawan • Pampanga •
Pangasinan) • Q (Quezon • Quirino) • R (Rizal • Romblon) • S (Samar • Sarangani • Siquijor •
Sorsogon • South Cotabato • Southern Leyte • Sultan Kudarat • Sulu • Surigao del Norte •
Surigao del Sur) • T (Tarlac • Tawi-Tawi) • Z (Zambales • Zamboanga del Norte • Zamboanga
del Sur • Zamboanga Sibugay)
Other subdivisions
Island groups (Luzon • Visayas • Mindanao) • Regions • Cities • Municipalities • Barangays •
Legislative districts

10. v · d · eTypes of administrative country subdivisions
SMALLCAPS indicate a type used by ten or more countries.
Current English terms
Alpine resort · Area (Insular area · Local government area · Special area · Urban (urbanized)
area) · Bailiwick · Banner (Autonomous banner) · Block · BOROUGH (County borough ·
Metropolitan borough) · CANTON · CAPITAL (Federal capital) · Circle · Circuit · CITY (Autonomous
city · Chartered city · Independent city · Rural city) · Colony · COMMUNE · Community
(Autonomous community · Residential community) · Condominium · Constituency · COUNTY
(Administrative county · Autonomous county · Metropolitan county) · DEPARTMENT · DISTRICT
(Autonomous district · CAPITAL DISTRICT · City district · Federal district · Metropolitan district ·
Municipal district · Subdistrict · Regional district) · Division (Cadastral division) · Duchy ·
Eldership · Federal dependency · GOVERNORATE · Hamlet · MUNICIPALITY (Direct-controlled
municipality · District municipality · Regional municipality · Regional county municipality ·
Rural municipality · Specialized municipality) · Neighbourhood · PARISH (Civil parish) ·
Periphery · Prefecture (Autonomous prefecture · Subprefecture · Super-prefecture) · Principality
(Co-principality) · Protectorate · PROVINCE (Autonomous province) · Quarter · Regency · REGION
(Autonomous region · CAPITAL REGION · Special administrative region) · Republic (Autonomous
republic) · Reservation (Reserve) · Riding · Sector · Shire · STATE · Suzerainty · TERRITORY
(Capital territory · Dependent territory · National territory · Union Territory) · Unit (Autonomous
territorial unit · Local administrative unit) · TOWN · Townland · TOWNSHIP (Civil township) ·
VILLAGE (Summer village) · WARD
Current non-English
and loanword terms
Amt · ARRONDISSEMENT · Bairro · Bakhsh · Baladiyah · Barangay · Bezirk / Regierungsbezirk ·
Comarca · Comune · Daïra · Deme · Frazione · Freguesia · Gmina · Gemeinde · İl · Județ ·
Kelurahan · Kommun · Kunta · Località · Mahalle · Megye · Muban · Nome · Oblast · Okrug
(Autonomous okrug) · Ostān · Poblacion · Powiat · Purok · Raion · Ranchería · Shabiyah ·
Shahr · Shahrestān · Sitio · Sýsla · Taluka · Tehsil · Vingtaine · Voivodeship · Wilayah · Woreda
Defunct and historical
English terms
Agency · Barony · Burgh · Diocese · Exarchate · Free imperial city · Hide · Hundred · Imperial

11. v · d · eArticles on fourth-level administrative divisions of countries
Belgium · People's Republic of China · Democratic Republic of the Congo · France · Germany ·
Greece · Indonesia · Japan · Kenya · Mali · Peru · Philippines · Senegal · Thailand · Ukraine ·
United Kingdom
Table of administrative country subdivisions by country

12. v·d·e Philippines topics
History
Prehistory · Spanish colonial period · Battle of Mactan · Manila Galleon · Spanish East Indies ·
Philippine revolts against Spain · Philippine Revolution · Philippine Declaration of
Independence · First Republic · Philippine-American War · American colonial period · Tydings-
McDuffie Act · Commonwealth of the Philippines · World War II · Second Republic · Third
Republic · Marcos era · 1986 People Power Revolution · 2001 EDSA Revolution · EDSA III ·
Fifth Republic
Geography
Island groups · Administrative divisions · Regions · Provinces · Cities · Municipalities ·
Barangays · Bays · Islands · Lakes · Mountains · Peninsulas · Rivers · Volcanoes ·
Environmental issues · Water supply and sanitation · Tourism · Landmarks
Governance
Constitution · President (Cabinet) · Vice President · Executive departments · Congress (Senate ·
House) · Supreme Court · Military · Law enforcement · Foreign relations
Politics
Political parties · Elections · Liberalism · Human rights
Economy
Companies · Central Bank · Philippine peso · Stock Exchange · Transportation ·
Communications · Fiscal policy

13. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barangay&oldid=461130200"
Categories:
• Types of country subdivisions
• Barangays of the Philippines
• Subdivisions of the Philippines
• Philippine culture
• Philippine society
• Human habitats
• Tagalog words and phrases
Personal tools
• Log in / create account
Namespaces
• Article
• Discussion
Variants
Views
• Read
• Edit
• View history
Actions
Search
Navigation
• Main page
• Contents
• Featured content
• Current events
• Random article
• Donate to Wikipedia
Interaction
• Help

14. • About Wikipedia
• Community portal
• Recent changes
• Contact Wikipedia
Toolbox
• What links here
• Related changes
• Upload file
• Special pages
• Permanent link
• Cite this page
Print/export
• Create a book
• Download as PDF
• Printable version
Languages
• ‫العربية‬
• Bikol Central
• Català
• Cebuano
• Deutsch
• Español
• Français
• 한국어
• Ilokano
• Bahasa Indonesia
• Interlingua
• Italiano
• Kapampangan
• Македонски
• Nederlands
• 日本語
• Norsk (bokmål)
• Pangasinan
• Русский
• Suomi
• Svenska
• Tagalog
• Türkçe
• Tiếng Việt
• Winaray

15. • This page was last modified on 17 November 2011 at 16:35.
• Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit
organization.
• Contact us
• Privacy policy
• About Wikipedia
• Disclaimers
• Mobile view
•
•