A barangay (Filipino: baranggay , pronounced as 'ba-rang-gai', gai as in guy), also known by its former name, the barrio, is the smallest local government unit in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. Municipalities and cities are composed of barangays. Barangays, especially large barangays in the rural areas, are divided into puroks, sitios or sonas (the terms are interchangable) headed by a purok president and his set of officers. The barangay was conceived during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, replacing the old barrios. Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district. ... Local governments are administrative offices of an area smaller than a state. ... A village is a human settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... Local government areas called districts are used, or have been used, in several countries. ... Fred Ward is a american moviestar. ... A municipality (bayan, sometimes munisipalidad, in Filipino) is a local government unit in the Philippines. ... A city (lungsod, sometimes siyudad, in Filipino) is a tier of local government in the Philippines. ... Seal of the President of the Philippines The President of the Philippines is the head of state and of the government of the Republic of the Philippines. ... Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (September 11, 1917–September 28, 1989) was the tenth President of the Philippines, serving from 1965 to 1986. ...

Structure

Each barangay is headed by a barangay captain (punong barangay), i.e. the district mayor, who leads the barangay council (sangguniang barangay) composed of barangay councilors (kagawad). Every barangay also has a Youth Council (the Sangguniang Kabataan or "SK") composed of the SK President or Chairman and SK Councilors, who direct the youth-oriented activities, such as basketball leagues and other youth oriented activities, in the barangay. The SK sprung out of the Kabataang Barangay, which was also started during the Marcos' administration. The Sangguniang Kabataan and the Katipunan ng Kabataan == The SK or the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) is the governing body in every chapter of the Katipunan ng Kabataan (Youth Federation). ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 Basketball is a sport in which two teams of five players each try to score points by throwing a ball through a hoop (the basket) under organized rules. ...

History

Historically, a barangay is a relatively small community of around 50 to 100 families. Most villages have only thirty to one hundred houses and the population varies from one hundred to five hundred persons. According to Legazpi, he found communities with twenty to thirty people only. Many coastal villages in the Visayan region consisted of no more than eight to ten houses. The word itself is derived from an ancient Malay boat called a balangay. It is commonly believed that in pre-colonial Philippines, each original coastal “barangay” formed as a result of settlers arriving by boat from other places in Southeast Asia. Miguel López de Legazpi (b. ... Map of the Philippines showing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao Visayas is one of the three island groupings in the Philippines along with Luzon and Mindanao. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Most communities were coastal or riverine in nature. This is because the principal sources of protein come from the seas and rivers, most of the people relying more on fishing for supply of food. Also, people travelled mostly by water. The movement of the population was up and down rivers and along the coasts, trails always followed river systems. Rivers were also a major souce of water for bathing, washing, and drinking. Moreover, coastal villages are more accessible to traders where an economic activity is developed. Business with traders meant contact with other cultures and civilizations like the Chinese, Indian, and Arabian. Thus, the coastal communities in Manila, Cebu, Jolo, and Butuan attained a higher cultural level. Manilas President Manuel Roxas Boulevard also known as the Baywalk Manila (Filipino: Maynila) is the capital of the Philippines. ... Cebu City is the capital of the Cebu Province in the Philippines and is the second most important metropolitan center in the country. ... Jolo is an island in the southwest Philippines. ... Butuan City is a 1st class city in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. ...

Upon the arrival of the Spanish, several ancient barangays were combined to form towns. Every barangay within a town was headed by the cabeza de barangay (barangay chief). The post was at first inherited from the first datus who became cabezas de barangay, but then was made into an elected post. The primary job of the cabeza de barangay was to collect taxes from the residents.

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 Marcos ordered the renaming of the barrios back to barangay. The name has stuck ever since, though some people still use the old term.

The Liga ng mga Barangay

There exists a union of barangays in the Philippines: the Liga ng mga Barangay. Representing 41,939 barangays, it is the largest grassroots organization in the Philippines. Its current president is James Marty Lim.

References

• Constantino, Renato. (1975) The Philippines: A Past Revisited (volume 1). ISBN 971-895800-2

External links

• Liga ng mga Barangay (League of Barangays)