Community Spotlight:
A town called Malabrigo, Lobo Batangas
“Let’s Keep Malabrigo Clean, Green and Beautiful.”
By Aliza Dueñas Carpio
It isn’t always that I get to connect with government leaders in the Philippines so when I had the chance to meet Barangay Chairman, Naty Manalo Aldea, I jumped at the chance. Naty Manalo Aldea is also a cousin and lovingly called Ate Naty. Ate is a term used to designate respect for female elders.
According to PhilAtlas, a barangay is the smallest political unit in the Philippines. Each municipality or city is therefore made up of barangays.
The barangay government unit is composed of elective officials called the Punong Barangay who is the chief executive or chairman, the Sangguniang Barangay members, also called Kagawads, and the Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman. The appointive officials are the barangay Secretary, the barangay Treasurer, the members of the Lupong Tagapamayapa, and the barangay Tanods.
Naty Manalo Aldea is the first ever female Barangay Chairman in a seaside town called Malabrigo, Lobo Batangas in the Philippines. This is the birthplace of my mother and when I was really young, we spent summer vacations there.
I wanted to get to know the town from her perspective and she gave me a few minutes in her busy schedule to share a bit about her role and her love for Malabrigo. Here’s the transcript from our chat:
AC (that’s me): Hello po. (The use of “po” in sentences is a sign of respect). Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I know you have a packed schedule.
NMA (Chairman Naty Manalo Aldea): Hello. Of course, I am grateful that you are writing about our town, Malabrigo.
AC: Ate Naty, our conversation will be part of the inaugural launch of the site “Malabrigo Times”.
NMA: Wow, that’s exciting.
AC: Let’s get started. Please tell us about yourself, including a bit about your role as Chairman in Malabrigo.
NMA: Sure. My name is Naty Manalo Aldea. Many call me Barangay Chairman instead of Barangay Captain. I prefer my role to be called Barangay Chairman. I believe that I am the only called Barangay Chairman and I am also the only female Barangay Chairman in Lobo (Malabrigo is part of Lobo). There are 26 barangays and I am the only female chairman. I am the first female barangay chairman of Malabrigo.
AC: How long have you lived here in Malabrigo?
NMA: I was born here. I consider myself to be someone who has lived in Malabrigo all my life, even though I lived abroad for about 20 years. Every time I come back to the Philippines, I always come back to Malabrigo. I was once a Barangay Treasurer as well here in Malabrigo for 5 years. I went abroad then came back and now, I am Barangay Chairman. I am also the Secretary of the Liga of Lobo. Liga refers to an association of Barangay Captains.
AC: How long have you been Barangay Chairman of Malabrigo?
NMA: Since 2018 and it’s been four years. The Barangay elections have been postponed twice. We expect the next Barangay elections to be in October 2023 unless it gets postponed again.
AC: Let’s switch topics a bit. Please describe Malabrigo and also why do you love this community?
NMA: Malabrigo is a barangay situation about 7 kilometers from Poblacion. Our population is about 2000+ but it’s one clan. This is what I love about it. Malabrigo residents belongs to one clan. Our family tree comes from two families - the Sulit and the Duenas families. We have branched out to so many families. There are many family name now but we have the same root in Malabrigo. In Pilipino (Philippines), we say “iisang pisa” meaning we were hatched from just one egg. This is Malabrigo. I think other barangays are similar.
Malabrigo is unique. We have the Parola, the Malabrigo lighthouse. This is a famous landmark and is one of the tourist destinations here. We also have the highest number of resorts, total of 22 resorts, which accommodate both local and international tourists. We also have the Lover’s Lane?
AC: Lover’s Lane? Where is that?
NMA: Lover’s Lane is in between Soloc and Malabrigo towns. Of course, we have some local celebrities who have residences here like Christopher de Leon and Akiko Thomson, Olympic swimmer. Christopher comes here every election and votes here in Malabrigo.
AC: What do you love about the community besides the “iisang pisa”?
NMA: This is a close knit community. They are close to each other. They may argue but they are also friends. They consider themselves “as one blood”. I believe that even if they argue, they love each other. They are relatives and they treasure their relationships with each other. They don’t ignore this fact here in Malabrigo.
Even though there may have been some challenging moments between relatives, I have been able to help settle it and I lead with my heart. I am a woman and a mother and I lead with my heart when I deal with challenging situations. This is especially true when the problems are of a personal nature.
Every time I help settle an issue and we get to a resolution, I feel very fulfilled. It’s a similar feeling to when I pass an exam or some other big challenge.
It can be difficult, at times, to deal with your relatives. Sometimes, not everyone is pleased and I know that I can’t please everyone even though I tell them “I love you. You are my relative and I don’t want to see you in this situation.” But when we are able to resolve issues together, I feel a sense of contentment. This inspires me to go on.
I have so many supporters. Barangay Malabrigo has a lot of stakeholders. Every time we need something, they are there to help me. An example is a current project that the vice mayor promised me and now, it’s happening.
AC: What is the role of the Barangay?
NMA: The barangay has three roles: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. As the chairman, I lead the administrative function and I also facilitate the legislative body (Sangguniang Barangay). I also chair the barangay justice which is the judicial body of the barangay - all the cases within barangay jurisdiction. This includes things that require reconciliation, resolution and all the ordinances. This is like the senate and the congress of the barangay.
Literally, I do everything. (We both smile)
AC: What are the hours of operation?
NMA: We are on call 24/7 in the barangay. There is always someone on duty and the staff takes turns. The hours of duty are 7 am to 10 pm each day. We have a “patrol”, a type of security team member, who does rounds along the road and the beach every evening. The following are team members who are available each day
2 barangay tanod - they are like the police
1 barangay kagawad - these are councilors
1 barangay health worker
Secretary and treasurer
AC: Thank you po. It was a pleasure to chat with you and get to know a bit about Malabrigo and the barangay
NMA: Thank you also for showcasing Malabrigo to the “outside” world.