Pursuant  to Section 397 of  Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, barangays are mandated to conduct assembly days twice a year, every last Saturday of March for the first semester and second Sunday of October for the second semester. Nonetheless, to ensure extensive people participation, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on October 9, 2018, issued Proclamation  No. 599 amending previous proclamations and declaring all Saturdays and Sundays of March and October of every year as barangay assembly days.

In the Province of Camarines Sur, one hundred percent or 1,063 barangays conducted their barangay assemblies for the 1^st Semester of CY 2019 with the theme “Barangay Natin, Sama-samang Paunlarin” pursuant to DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2019-32. Each city or municipality has a chosen barangay showcase wherein the City or Municipal Local Government Operations Officers (C/MGOOs) read the SILG’s message to the barangay.  For Cluster 1 which includes Districts 1, 2 and 5, Barangay La Medalla in Baao was chosen as cluster barangay showcase. While in Cluster 2 which includes Districts 3 and 4, Barangay San Jose in Pili is cluster barangay showcase.

On March 30, 2019, La Medalla of Baao, Camarines Sur, which is also the Provincial Showcase Barangay, held its Barangay Assembly which started at around six o’ clock in the evening. It was participated mostly by representatives from the women, senior citizens and youth sectors. After the preliminaries, Punong Barangay Ralan David Besinio delivered his State of the Barangay Address (SOBA), reporting on the implementation of programs and projects, budget utilization and compliance to national laws and issuances. As one of the highlights of the activity, LGOO VI Salvacion Gladdy F. San Joaquin, Municipal Local Government Operations Officer, (MLGOO) of DILG Baao, imparted the message of DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año which emphasized the significance of barangays in the development of the country, that read in part: “…naniniwala ako na ang lahat ng tagumpay ay nagsisimula sa isang maliit na hakbang. Payak man at tinaguriang pinakamaliit na yunit ng lipunan, ang barangay pa rin ang pinamalakas at pinakamarami. Hinihimok ko ang lahat na maging bahagi ng pag-unlad, at sa bawat hakbang, narito lang ang inyong pamahalaan, ang inyong lingkod, upang patagin ang landas na inyong tatahakin. Tulad ng tema ng Barangay Assembly 2019, sama-sama nating paunlarin ang ating barangay, at kalaunan, ang ating bansa.”. The activity was also broadcasted live on the DILG Camarines Sur Facebook Page in practice of transparency and also to make certain widest involvement of the community.