International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

line decor
  
line decor

 Volume 13, Issue 3 (March 2026), Pages: 68-73

----------------------------------------------

 Original Research Paper

Enhancing service delivery through education and training: Office literacy and management practices in local governance

 Author(s): 

Sherrilyn B. Quintos *

 Affiliation(s):

College of Arts and Sciences, Bataan Peninsula State University, Balanga City, Bataan 2100, Philippines

 Full text

    Full Text - PDF

 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4767-8006

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.03.007

 Abstract

This study investigates office literacy and management practices among barangay leaders. A mixed-method approach was employed involving 32 barangay officials selected through geographically representative sampling. The study utilized qualitative thematic analysis and descriptive quantitative analysis. The findings show that officials were overall moderately skilled in interpersonal competencies that support effective governance, with human relations skills receiving the highest rating. In contrast, technology skills received the lowest rating, highlighting a clear need for digital literacy training. The results also indicate a difference in technical skills across age groups, with younger officials demonstrating higher technical proficiency than older officials. However, officials across all age groups showed similar levels of competence in communication, numeracy, organization, records administration, and interpersonal relations. The study recommends implementing a comprehensive training program that emphasizes digital literacy and administrative competencies to strengthen the capabilities of barangay officials, promote effective governance, and improve public service delivery.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Barangay, Literacy, Management, Service delivery, Governance

 Article history

Received 19 October 2025, Received in revised form 26 February 2026, Accepted 4 March 2026

 Funding

This research was supported and funded by Bataan Peninsula State University. 

 Acknowledgment

The author gratefully acknowledges the barangay captains, councilors, secretaries, and treasurers of Balanga City for their participation and support. Appreciation is also extended to the City Government of Balanga and the offices that assisted in coordination, as well as to colleagues and mentors from Bataan Peninsula State University for their guidance. The author also thanks family and friends for their encouragement. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations:

This study followed established ethical standards for research involving human participants. Informed consent was obtained from all barangay officials before data collection, and participation was voluntary, with the option to withdraw at any time. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured by excluding personal identifiers and reporting data only in an aggregated form. 

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

Quintos SB (2026). Enhancing service delivery through education and training: Office literacy and management practices in local governance. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(3): 68-73

  Permanent Link to this page

 Figures

  No Figure

 Tables

   No Table

---------------------------------------------- 

 References (10)

  1. Alamban AA, Poquita JMC, and Procurato LJF (2024). Knowledge mapping of the auxiliary police: A basis for crafting a capability training program. Organization and Human Capital Development, 3(2): 18-36. https://doi.org/10.31098/orcadev.v3i2.2699   [Google Scholar]

  2. Alghatam NH (2021). E‐government through the lens of trading zones: A case of e‐government implementation in Dubai. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 87(2): e12156. https://doi.org/10.1002/isd2.12156   [Google Scholar]

  3. De Mesa RYH, Hendrickson ZM, Tan-Lim CSC, Elepaño A, Fabian NMC, Lopez JFE, Latkin CA, Dans LF, Rey MP, and Dans AML (2025). Resilience, ingenuity, and identity: A multi-level analysis of the Filipino community health worker experience in rural and remote municipalities in the Philippines. PLOS Global Public Health, 5(8): e0004965. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0004965   [Google Scholar] PMid:40825026 PMCid:PMC12360505

  4. Inarda A (2022). A mixed-methods study on the influence of quality of work life on commitment and performance. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 20(2): 321-334. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.20(2).2022.27   [Google Scholar]

  5. Jacoba EFP, Gamit AM, Santos AR, Alvarez SC, Peria JNT, and Claudio AEG (2025). Exploring digital and documentation issues in state university–LGU collaborative programs for sustainable quality education. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(6): 497–522. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.24.6.23   [Google Scholar]

  6. Mohammed NF, Mahmud R, Islam MS, and Mohamed N (2023). Towards achieving SDGs through integrated reporting in Malaysian public universities. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 24(5): 1002-1023. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-08-2021-0344   [Google Scholar]

  7. Muringa T and Shava E (2024). Examining the efficacy of core competencies of municipal leaders in transforming local government in South Africa. International Journal of Public Leadership, 20(3-4): 330-346. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-04-2024-0032   [Google Scholar]

  8. Reyes AT, Serafica R, Kawi J, Fudolig M, Sy F, Leyva EWA, and Evangelista LS (2023). Using the socioecological model to explore barriers to health care provision in underserved communities in the Philippines: qualitative study. Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal, 7(1): e45669. https://doi.org/10.2196/45669   [Google Scholar] PMid:37606966 PMCid:PMC10481217

  9. Santos AR, Galano JA, Claudio EG, and Obligado JRT (2025). Project Liwanag Kita: Assessing its impact on community empowerment and economic development. International Journal of Public Policy and Administration Research, 12(1): 1-16. https://doi.org/10.18488/74.v12i1.4152   [Google Scholar]

  10. Tavares AF and da Cruz NF (2020). Explaining the transparency of local government websites through a political market framework. Government Information Quarterly, 37(3): 101249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2017.08.005   [Google Scholar]