PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure dividing Caloocan City's Barangay 176, also known as Bagong Silang, into six separate and independent villages.
Republic Act (RA) 11993, signed by the President on April 3, divided Bagong Silang into Barangay 176-A, 176-B, 176-C, 176-D, 176-E and 176-F, with the territorial boundaries of each local unit created immediately with the existing "purok" or "phases."
Also, the new law directs the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to conduct and supervise the plebiscite within 90 days from the effectivity of the law.
Moreover, RA 11993 mandates the appointment of interim barangay officials, including the punong barangay (village chief) and seven chairmen and members of the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) in each newly created village to be designated by the mayor.
The appointed village officials will serve until their duly elected and qualified successors assume office, according to the new law.
Under RA 11993, incumbent barangay officials shall continue to hold office until such time that the officials of the newly created barangays have been duly appointed.
Public infrastructure and facilities existing at the time of the approval of RA 11993 will be transferred without cost or compensation and will be administered by the new villages.
All newly created barangay shall be entitled to the national allotment shares pursuant to Section 285 of RA 7160, as amended, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, according to the new law.
RA 11993 was passed by the House of Representatives on Nov. 21, 2022, and amended by the Senate on Dec. 11, 2023.
The new law takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
However, before dividing Bagong Silang, the city government and the Comelec should conduct a plebiscite to determine if residents support the move.
Barangay Bagong Silang has a population of 261,729, accounting for 16 percent of Caloocan City's population, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority census in 2020.
It was founded during the administration of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. in 1971, with the objective of ushering in a "new hope" for the many residents who previously resided in slum areas across Metro Manila.
The name Bagong Silang — meaning "newborn" in English — was chosen to reflect the purpose of the barangay's establishment.
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