National and Local Government Relationship

Local Government Code of 1991

• RA 7160

• the law that underlies the country’s fiscal, political, and administrative decentralization program.

• a major legislative achievement of the Eighth Congress (1987-1992)

• Article X, Section 3, 1987 Constitution - to enact “a local government code which shall provide for a more responsive and accountable local government structure instituted through a system of decentralization”

Sec. 521. Mandatory Review Every Five Years

The Congress shall undertake a mandatory review of this Code at least once every five (5) years and as often as it may deem necessary, with the primary objective of providing a more responsive and accountable local government structure.

Structure of LGU in the Philippines

NGA →

Either: Autonomous Regions → Independent Cities or HUC; → Barangays
Or: Provinces → Component City or/and Municipalities → Barangays

Autonomous Regions

• have more powers than other local governments;

• Muslim Mindanao (existing)

• Cordilleras (planned)

Provinces

• Outside the lone autonomous region, the provinces are the highest-level local government.

• A province is governed by the governor and a legislature known as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Cities and Municipalities

•Municipal Government in the Philippines is divided into three – independent cities, component cities, and municipalities.

•Several cities across the country are "independent cities" which means that they are not governed by a province, even though like Iloilo City the provincial capitol might be in the city.

•Independent city residents do not vote for nor hold provincial offices.

Barangays

• the smallest of the local government units

• A barangay's executive is the barangay captain and its legislature is the Sangguniang Barangay, composed of barangay councilors and the SK chairman.

  • the SK Chairman is the head of Sangguniang Kabataan

• further divided into sitios and puroks but those divisions do not have leaders elected in formal elections