DECENTRALIZATION & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Overview

▰ Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160). This Act enters into force on 1 January
1992. This Code establishes the system and defines powers of provincial, city, municipal and
barangay governments in the Philippines.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1991 (RA 7160)

▰ enacted in October of 1991
▰ Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. – principal author, “Father of Philippine local government”
▰ “to decentralize power from the national government to the LGU’s”

Aims of the Local Government Code 1991

▰ Purpose: transform LGUs into self-reliant communities and active partners in nation-building
by giving them more powers, authority, responsibilities and resources
▰ Hopes to achieve economic development at the regional and local levels by giving Local Chief
Executive (LCE) more freedom in carrying out their programs that are suitable in their areas

Local Autonomy
▰ Refers to “self-governing”
▰ The granting of more powers, authority, responsibilities and resources by the national government
to local government units to be self-reliant and active partners

DECENTRALIZATION
▰ transfer of power and authority from central institutions to lower or local levels of a government
system.

RATIONALE FOR DECENTRALIZATION

DECENTRALIZATION ATTEMPTS TO:

▰ Improve allocative efficiency
▰ Improve production efficiency
▰ Improve quality, transparency, accountability and legitimacy
▰ Greater equity

TYPES OF DECENTRALIZATION

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 3 FORMS OF DECENTRALIZATION

1. DEVOLUTION (Political Decentralization)

transfer of power and authority from the national government to local government units (LGUs);
political and territorial. Local governments acquire the necessary functions to govern and not
only to administer.

3 Indicators of Political Decentralization:

▰ Accountability – local committees consisting of men & women work in selected LGUs according
to the guidelines of the LGC to implement result-oriented & target-relevant decisions & measures.
▰ Transparency – selected LGUs & national organizations/ departments publish their annual
budgets in media accessible to citizens such as newspapers, bulletin boards at the town hall &
churches, & report semi-annually on the implementation status of programs in citizen’s assemblies.
▰ Responsibility and Participation – The portion of programs and projects realized by LGUs
through active & quantifiable participation, such as job performance & financial contributions of
citizens.

Devolved functions to LGUs

1. Agricultural extension 6. Social welfare services
2. Community based forestry 7. Tourism
3. Field health and hospital services 8. Telecommunications
4. Public works 9. Housing
5. School building program 10. Others like investment support

Devolved Regulatory Powers

1. Reclassification of agricultural lands
2. Enforcement of environmental laws
3. Inspection of food products and quarantine
4. Enforcement of national building code
5. Operation of tricycles
6. Processing and approval of subdivision plans
7. Establishment of cockpits

Local government refers to political administrative divisions of a state that is under the jurisdiction
of the national, regional, and provincial government, this is within the act of physically reaching to the
citizens it governs, with officials elected if not appointed by elected officials.

The significance of local government is an expressed recognition by the state as a practicable

element of the national government for local functions. The local affairs can be best headed and
managed by the people in the local community in the government system.

2. DECONCENTRATION
Transfer of power, authority or responsibility or the discretion to plan, decide and manage from
central to local levels; administrative and sectoral.

3. DEBUREAUCRATIZATION (Institutional Decentralization)

Transfer of some public functions and responsibilities, which government may perform, to private
entities or NGOs. Involves the harnessing of the private sector & non-governmental organizations
in the delivery of services through various modalities including contracting out, private-public
partnership & joint ventures.

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 LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT (LGU)

▰ A political subdivision of a nation or state which is constituted by law and has substantial control
of local affairs.
▰ It pertains to the activity by which local officials, both elected and appointed, implement the
goals and manage the resources of the local government unit.

Local government in the Philippines is divided into four levels:

1. Autonomous regions
2. Provinces and cities independent from a province
3. Components cities and municipalities
4. Barangays

Levels of the Local Government Unit

A. Autonomous Regions

▰ Autonomous regions have more powers than other LGUs. Currently, the constitution limits the
creation of autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras. Other regions are not
considered LGUs since they do not have political power.
▰ Currently, only one autonomous region exists: the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM).
▰ An autonomous region is governed by the regional governor; its legislature is the regional
legislative assembly.

B. Provinces

▰ The largest unit in the political structure of the Philippines. It consists, in varying numbers, of
municipalities and, in some cases, of component cities.
▰ Its functions and duties in relation to its component cities and municipalities are generally
coordinative and supervisory.
▰ A province is governed by the governor and its legislature is the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan.(Board Member)

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C. Cities

There are three (3) classes of cities in the Philippines:

1. Highly Urbanized Cities (HUC)
2. Component Cities (CC)- which are part of the provinces where they are located and subject to their
administrative supervision.
3. Independent Component Cities (ICC)-which are independent of the province.

▰ A city is governed by the mayor and its legislature is the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Highly Urbanized Cities (HUC):

▰ Cities with a minimum population of two hundred thousand (200,000) inhabitants, as certified
by the Philippine Statistics Authority, and with the latest annual income of at least fifty million
pesos (₱50,000,000) based on 1991 constant prices, as certified by the city treasurer.
▰ There are currently 33 highly urbanized cities in the Philippines, 16 of which are located in Metro
Manila.

Component Cities (CC):

▰ Cities which do not meet the preceding requirements are deemed part of the province in which
they are geographically located. If a component city is located along the boundaries of two or more
provinces, it shall be considered part of the province of which it used to be a municipality.

Independent Component Cities (ICC):

▰ Cities of this type have charters that explicitly prohibit their residents from voting for provincial
officials. All five of them are considered independent from the province in which they are
geographically located: Cotabato, Dagupan, Naga, Ormoc and Santiago.

D. Municipalities

▰ Is a political corporate body which is endowed with the facilities of a municipal corporation,
exercised by and through the municipal government in conformity with law. It is a subsidiary of
the province which consists of several barangays within its territorial boundaries, one of which is
the seat of government found at the town proper (poblacion).
▰ A municipality is governed by the mayor and its legislature is the Sangguniang Bayan.

E. Barangays

▰ The smallest political unit into which cities and municipalities in the Philippines are divided. It is
the basic unit of the Philippine political system. It consists of less than 1,000 inhabitants residing
within the territorial limit of a city or municipality and administered by a set of elective officials.
▰ Is divided into sitios and puroks.
▰ A barangay's executive is the Punong Barangay, and its legislature is the Sangguniang
Barangay which is also composed of Punong Barangay and the SK chairman.
▰ The SK chairman also leads a separate assembly for youth, the Sangguniang Kabataan or SK.
▰ The center of governance is the barangay hall.

Composition of the executive branch of the LGU:

1. A regional governor for the autonomous region

2. A governor for the provinces
3. A mayor for the cities and municipalities
4. A barangay captain for the barangays

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Composition of the legislative branch of the LGU:

1. Regional Legislative Assembly for the autonomous region

2. Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial assembly) for the provinces
3. Sangguniang Panlungsod (city assembly) for the cities
4. Sangguniang Bayan (town assembly) for the municipalities
5. Sangguniang Barangay (barangay council)
6. Sangguniang Kabataan for the youth sector.

LGU ELECTED OFFICIALS

Once elected, the officials have a 3-year term & can only serve a maximum of 3 consecutive terms
before being ineligible for reelection.

Qualifications for Philippine Local Officials:

1. citizen of the Philippines

2. on the day of election at least 23 years old for Governor, Vice-Governor, member of Sangguniang
Panlalawigan, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Sangguniang Panlungsod in highly urbanized cities; while at least
21 years old for the said officials in component cities and municipalities; at least 18 years old for
members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, Sangguniang Bayan and Sangguniang Barangay and
Punong Barangay; at least 18 years old and not more than 24 years of age for Sangguniang Kabataan.
3. able to read and write Filipino or any other local language or dialect.
4. registered voter in the constituency in the locality
5. resident thereof for a period of not less than 1 year immediately preceding the day of the election

Effect of Decentralization in Governance

▰ Improved delivery of basic services such as providing medicines, equipments and other essential
supplies in government hospitals
▰ The people will be closer to government
▰ Improved receptiveness of the government to the people’s needs

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 The Local Government Code of the Philippines
Book III
Local Government Units

There are offices that are common to municipalities, cities, and provinces. Some of these offices are mandatory,
while others are optional for the government.
Office Head Municipality City Province
Office of the City Mayor City Mayor No Yes No
Office of the City Vice Mayor City Vice Mayor No Yes No
Office of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Presiding Officer (City Vice No Yes No
Mayor)
Office of the Municipal Mayor Municipal Mayor Yes No No
Office of the Municipal Vice Mayor Municipal Vice Mayor Yes No No
Office of the Provincial Governor Provincial Governor No No Yes
Office of the Provincial Vice Governor Provincial Vice Governor No No Yes
Office of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Presiding Officer (Provincial No No Yes
Vice Governor)
Office of the Sangguniang Bayan Presiding Officer (Municipal Yes No No
Vice Mayor)
Office of the Secretary to the Sanggunian Secretary to the Sanggunian Yes Yes Yes
Treasury Office Treasurer Yes Yes Yes
Assessor’s Office Assessor Yes Yes Yes
Accounting Office Accountant Yes Yes Yes
Budget Office Budget Officer Yes Yes Yes
Planning and Development Office Planning and Development Yes Yes Yes
Coordinator
Engineering Office Engineering Yes Yes Yes
Health Office Health Officer Yes Yes Yes
Office of the Civil Registry Civil Registrar Yes Yes No
Office of the Administrator (co-terminous) Administrator optional Yes Yes
Office of the Legal Services (co-terminous) Legal Officer optional Yes Yes
Agriculture Office/Agricultural services Agriculturist optional optional Yes
Social Welfare and Development Office Social Welfare and optional Yes Yes
Development Officer
Environment and Natural Resources Office Environment and Natural optional optional optional
Resources Officer
Office on Architectural Planning and Design Architect optional optional optional
Office on Public Information Office (co-terminous) Information Officer optional optional optional
Office for the Development of Cooperatives Cooperatives Officer No optional optional
Office on Population Development Population Officer optional optional optional
Veterinary Services Veterinarian No Yes Yes
General Services Office General Services Officer Yes Yes Yes

OTHER OFFICES

Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) Public Order and Safety Officer optional optional optional
Tourism Office Tourism Officer Yes Yes Yes
Public Employment Services Office (PESO) PESO Manager Yes Yes Yes
Human Resources Management and Development HRMD Officer Yes Yes Yes
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office DRRM Officer Yes Yes Yes
Economic Enterprise and Development Office EED Officer Yes Yes No
Office of the Senior Citizens' Affairs (OSCA) OSCA Head Yes Yes Yes
Persons With Disability Affairs Office (PWDAO) PWDAO Head Yes Yes Yes
Nutrition Action Office Nutrition Action Officer Yes Yes Yes
Solid Waste and Environment Management Office (SWEMO) SWEMO Head Yes Yes No
Gender And Development (GAD) Office GAD Officer Yes Yes Yes
Information Technology (IT) Office IT Officer Yes Yes Yes
Local Government Operations Office Local Government Operations Yes Yes Yes
Officer