Apurok (English:district[1] or zone) is an informal division within abarangay in thePhilippines.[2][3] While not officially considered alocal government unit (LGU), apurok often serves as a unit for delivering services and administration within a barangay.[4]Puroks are usually numbered (e.g. Purok 2, Purok B, Purok 7-C) but some have names.
Apurok is typically composed of twenty to fifty or more households, depending on the particular geographical location and cluster of houses.[4] The termpurok is often applied to a neighborhood (zone) within an urbanized barangay, or a portion (district) of a less densely populated, but still relatively geographically compact, barangay. This contrasts with thesitio, which is usually a cluster of households (hamlet) in a more dispersed, rural barangay.
If created and given a mandate by an ordinance of the barangay, municipality, or city, apurok could perform government functions under the coordination and supervision of their local officials.[4] Sometimes, abarangay councilor may be recognized as the leader of theirpurok.[5]
New barangays are often created by officially enumerating whichpuroks and/or sitios are included within the territory.[6][7] On rare occasions, apurok may also be enumerated in the creation of amunicipality, as in the case ofShariff Saydona Mustapha,Maguindanao del Sur, where thepuroks of Libutan East and Pagatin I were directly named as one of the constituent parts of the new municipality.[8] These twopuroks were later recognized as full-fledged barangays by thePhilippine Statistics Authority in early 2010.[9]
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