What Is an eBarangay System

The short answer

What it is: Software that puts a barangay's services and records online, also called a barangay management system
For residents: A website where they request clearances and certificates and see public notices and budgets
For the office: Resident records, document templates, the blotter and transparency pages in one place
Not the same as: BIMS, the DILG's records system, or eLGU, the DICT's e-government system; it can run alongside both
Ours: Bytebento BOS, live in barangays in Legazpi City

“eBarangay” is also the name of one private company's product. This guide uses the word in its general sense.

What an eBarangay system does

A good one covers both sides of the barangay hall.

Online requests. Residents request a barangay clearance, business clearance or certificate from their phone, and come to the hall once to pick it up. How online clearances work.
Resident records. A searchable Record of Barangay Inhabitants (RBI), so requests are checked quickly and documents are filled from the record.
Document templates. The barangay's own clearance and certificate formats, filled in automatically and ready to sign.
Blotter and Katarungang Pambarangay. Incidents logged, and KP forms generated, with sensitive cases restricted.
Transparency. The Full Disclosure documents and the budget, published where residents can find them.
A public website. Notices, officials, services and contact details on the barangay's own domain.

eBarangay, BIMS and eLGU: what is the difference?

eBarangay system: The barangay's own website and online services, built or bought by the barangay or its city. Residents use it directly.
BIMS: The DILG's Barangay Information Management System, for records and reports. Every barangay is required to adopt it (DILG MC 2025-104).
eLGU: The DICT's ready-made e-government system for local governments, named in the E-Governance Act (RA 12254).

They don't replace each other. BIMS is where the DILG expects your records and reports; an eBarangay system is what residents see and use. How Bytebento BOS and BIMS work together.

Does a barangay have to have one?

Two rules push barangays online. The E-Governance Act (RA 12254) requires local governments to offer their services online, through their own portal or the DICT's eLGU, and its implementing rules name clearances, permits and citizen requests among those services. And the DILG requires every barangay to adopt BIMS for its records.

Even so, most barangays aren't online yet. In July 2025 the DILG reported that 7,083 barangays, about 16.9% of the country, had BIMS, and far fewer take requests online. What the E-Governance Act means for barangays.

What to look for in an eBarangay system

01Your own domain and your own data. The barangay should own its website address and be able to export its records at any time.
02Works on any phone, without an account. Residents won't download an app to request one clearance.
03Built for the Data Privacy Act (RA 10173). A consent notice on every form, an audit trail of changes, and only the data you need. Ask your Compliance Officer for Privacy to review it.
04Your templates, not generic ones. Clearances should look like your barangay's, signed the way you sign them now.
05Survives a change of officials. Records stored online, not on one office PC, so they are still there when a new term starts.
06Texts, not just a website. Staff alerted when a request comes in, and residents told when it is ready, so nobody waits at the hall.
07Runs alongside BIMS. It should not ask you to stop using what the DILG requires.
08Someone local to call. Support from people who answer, and changes made when the barangay asks.

What an eBarangay system costs

BIMS and eLGU are provided by the government. A barangay's own system is priced by the provider, usually by how much it covers: the website, online requests, records, the blotter, SMS. Under the E-Governance Act, the cost of going online at the local level is charged to the LGU's own funds (RA 12254, Sec. 32). Ask for a fixed price for a fixed scope before any work starts.

Bytebento BOS: our eBarangay system

Bytebento BOS is the barangay management system we build and run, already live in barangays in Legazpi City. Each barangay gets:

Its own website on its own domain, with notices, officials and services.
Online clearances and certificates: barangay and business clearances and 20+ certificate types, filled from the barangay's own templates.
A resident registry (RBI) with sectoral tags, household links and Excel export, behind a staff-approval step.
Blotter and KP forms, with sensitive cases flagged and access-controlled.
Budget and Full Disclosure pages residents can actually find.
SMS alerts and a pickup board in the hall, so residents come in once.

It runs alongside BIMS, and every barangay starts with a free, fixed-scope proposal: the plan and the price before any work begins. See Bytebento BOS, read the case study or talk to us about your barangay.

Frequently asked questions

What is an eBarangay system?

An eBarangay system is software that puts a barangay's services and records online: a website where residents request clearances and certificates, and an office side where staff keep resident records, the blotter and transparency documents. The word is used for many different systems, and it is also one private company's product name.

Is eBarangay the same as BIMS?

No. BIMS is the DILG's Barangay Information Management System, for barangay records and reports, and every barangay is required to adopt it. An eBarangay system is usually the resident-facing side: the website and online requests. The two can run side by side.

Is an eBarangay system required by law?

The E-Governance Act (RA 12254) requires local governments to offer services online, through their own portal or the DICT's eLGU, and its implementing rules name clearances among those services. Separately, the DILG requires every barangay to adopt BIMS for its records.

How much does an eBarangay system cost?

It depends on what the barangay needs and who provides it. eLGU and BIMS are provided by the government. A barangay's own system is priced by the provider, and under the E-Governance Act the cost of going online at the local level is charged to the LGU's own funds.

Can residents request a barangay clearance through an eBarangay system?

Yes, that is usually the first thing it does. In barangays on Bytebento BOS, residents request a clearance from their phone, staff get a text, and the resident gets a text when the signed clearance is ready to pick up.

Is Bytebento BOS an eBarangay system?

Yes, in the general sense of the word: Bytebento BOS is our barangay management system, with a website, online requests, resident records and transparency pages for each barangay. It is our own product, not affiliated with any other company that uses the eBarangay name.

General information, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your DILG field office and your city or municipal ICT office.