Liga Day 2025 celebrates unity, support for barangay leaders

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB) Iloilo marked its annual Liga Day on Saturday, August 24, at the Iloilo Sports Complex, bringing together barangay leaders across the province in a day of fellowship, recognition, and advocacy.

This year’s celebration, themed “Sa tunga sang paglaum kag pangduha-duha, isa kita” (Amid hope and uncertainty, we are one), gathered more than 13,000 barangay officials from 42 municipalities and one component city.

The event served as the culmination of a month-long celebration and featured sports competitions, raffle draws, live performances, and the awarding of the Seal of Good Local Governance for Barangays (SGLGB) and other recognitions.

In her message, LNB Iloilo President Amalia Debuque thanked barangay officials and partners for their support and emphasized that the Liga’s efforts will continue beyond the event.

“Even after today’s Liga Day, our efforts to bring joy and support to the province will continue because cooperation and solidarity within the Liga remain strong,” she said.

Debuque also highlighted initiatives of the provincial Liga, including the Barangay Aid on Wheels program, launched in partnership with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which provides legal aid in communities.

She also cited Kaibigan mo ang Liga, a program that offers burial, medical, and hospital assistance to barangay officials in Iloilo.

“These may not be large in scale, but they are programs we want you to know are in place, so that in times of need, you can rely on your Provincial Liga,” she added.

Vice Governor Nathalie Ann Debuque expressed her gratitude to barangay leaders and recognized their vital role in grassroots governance.

“It is only fitting that we celebrate this Sunday as our Liga Family Day, honoring the heroes of our barangays. The province would neither be easy to govern nor progressive without our partners in good governance in the 1,721 barangays,” she said.

Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. underscored the importance of barangays as the foundation of development and service delivery.

“Everything in life—whether in agriculture, business, commerce, education, or even calamities—happens in the barangay. Before the province and municipalities can advance, the foundation and basics must first be in place in the barangay. That is why our programs always begin at the barangay level,” Defensor said.

Meanwhile, National LNB President Ma. Katrina Jessica Dy urged barangay leaders to support the recently signed Barangay Term Adjustment Law (RA 122132), which adjusts the term of barangay officials.

She shared that a petition was filed before the Supreme Court challenging the law, prompting LNB to intervene.

“Last Friday, we filed a petition to intervene before the court, and I am hopeful the Supreme Court will hear us. Let us support this bill and explain why we pushed for the term adjustment,” Dy said.

“If the elections push through this December, we will have the shortest term in the country’s history—only two years of service. We all know the hardships and workload of barangay officials, and that is why we fought for this,” she added.

Dy also pushed for the passage of the Magna Carta for Barangay Officials, which seeks to provide benefits to barangay leaders.

“Barangay officials only receive honoraria. They do not have salaries like regular employees, nor do they enjoy benefits such as health insurance or social security. Barangay officials are the only government workers without benefits. It is about time we show gratitude and provide benefits to the heroes of our barangays,” she said.

Liga Day 2025 also featured a commitment signing by barangay officials in support of the province’s MoRProGRes (Movement for a Robust, Progressive, Globally Competitive, and Resilient) Iloilo initiatives.

This includes the Bulig Eskwela sang Probinsya (BES Probins) program, which aims to promote inclusive, accessible, and quality education across communities.