COTABATO CITY – A proposed measure in the Bangsamoro Parliament seeks to provide a one-time death benefit and permanent disability assistance ranging from P500,000 to P1 million to barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairpersons who die or become permanently disabled while in active service.
Parliament Bill No. 379, authored by Member of the Parliament Naguib Sinarimbo, aims to establish the Barangay Officials Benefit Investment Fund (BOBIF), a program designed to support frontline grassroots leaders in the region.
Under the bill, the Bangsamoro government will seed the fund with P100 million from its annual budget. Financial assistance payouts will range from P500,000 to P1 million depending on the official’s role and the severity of their disability, as determined by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Management.
Claims will be processed by the Ministry of Interior and Local Government and approved by the Bangsamoro Treasury Office to ensure timely aid delivery to bereaved families and disabled officials.
The bill covers punong barangay, barangay kagawad, barangay secretary, and treasurer, SK chairpersons, and Indigenous People’s Mandatory Representatives – all essential actors in the region’s governance landscape.
To ensure the fund’s sustainability and compliance with Islamic finance principles, the BOBIF will be invested in Shariah-compliant financial instruments and managed through a Tabarru’ Fund, an Islamic cooperative insurance mechanism administered by a licensed Takaful operator.
Sinarimbo stressed the crucial but overlooked role barangay officials and SK chairpersons play in local governance.
“They serve as the backbone of local governance, acting as first responders to community needs, mediators of conflicts, and implementers of national and regional policies at the grassroots level,” he said.
Sinarimbo described the bill as a “moral obligation,” recognizing the sacrifices of local officials and youth leaders who often face grave dangers but remain uncompensated beyond their modest honoraria. “It’s a recognition that those who dedicate their lives to public service deserve dignity in death, and their families should not be forsaken by the very government they loyally served,” he added. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)
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