The Barrio Captain is a non-elected leader of a village in Filipino government systems. It pre-dates colonial periods and receives zero compensation. In 1991, the Philippine government officially renamed the title to Barangay Captain.

Functioning as a village elder, the Barrio Captain performs functions such as settling disputes between neighbors, ensure delivery of government services to the village, protecting the environment, antd organizing and leading a group in response to emergencies and disasters.

I was raised Catholic and converted to atheism in my twenties, but the Catholic concepts of service and charity remained with me. The Filipino Barrio Captain was intriguing, too: here is someone who serves his village without compensation—in precolonial times, anyway.

I’ve served with many groups to better my community, with the Johnson Hall Residence Hall Council and the Associated Students of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Student Senate (88th and 89th Senates!) to name a few. Making yourself useful and leading with humility and compassion makes the world better and it usually costs nothing.