Local Governments in the Philippines

LOADING

LOCAL GOVERNMENTSIn the Philippines

History of Local Governments

Local Government Units

Autonomous Region forMuslim Mindanao


The cities, municipalities, and provinces of today evolved

from the barangays of pre-Spanish times, the pueblos and

cabildos of the Spanish colonial days and the townships

of the American regime.


The BarangaysThe pre-Spanish barangays were the first political and social organizations of the Philippines. A barangay was a settlement of some 30 to 100 families and a governmental unit in itself.


Spanish Conquest and CentralismThe lack of unity among the warring barangays made conquest easier for the Spaniards. Gradually, the datus were shorn of their powers. The Spaniards organized pueblos (municipalities), Cabildos (cities), and provincias (provinces). The provinces were established “for the convenience of administration and constituted the immediate agencies through which the central government could extend its authority on numerous villages.” In place of the barangays, barrios were established, and the datus were made into cabezas de barangay whose only remaining function was the collection of taxes for the Spanish government.

History of Local GovernmentsLocal Governments during the First Philippine Republic

The importance of local governments was recognized by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo and Apolinario Mabini in their

program of government for the First Philippine Republic. Fillipino

leaders knew that “if a strong and enduring Filipino nation was to

be established, it must be able to maintain itself in all

emergencies, and the whole political fabric must be well founded on an efficient system of local governments. The Malolos Constitution provided a separate article on local government (Title XI, Article 82). Local autonomy was made explicit in the introductory portion which stipulated that “the organization and powers of the provincial and municipal assemblies shall be governed by their respective laws.”

History of Local GovernmentsLocal Governments during the American Regime

The Americans contributed very little, if at all, to the development of local autonomy. In fact, national-local relationship reverted to the strong centralism that characterized the Spanish colonial regime. .”

The Commission’s blueprint for town organization provided for a President to be elected viva voce by residents of the

town with the approval of the Commanding Officer. His duty consisted in the establishment of a police force, collection

of taxes, enforcement of regulations on market and

sanitation, establishment of schools, and the provision for lighting facilities.


The Commonwealth and CentralismThe forms and patterns of local government during the American civil administration remained essentially the

same during the Commonwealth period. The only notable

changes were the transfer of central supervision from the Executive Bureau to the Department of Interior and the creation of

more chartered cities.

President Quezon, the central figure of the government during

this period, even argued against autonomy in the cities, hinting

that “under the unitary system of government which exists in

the Philippines, the national chief executive does and should

control all local offices.”


Local Governments under the RepublicThe national government was supreme and local

governments were merely its political and administrative subdivisions.

Most of the formal and real powers are vested and exercised by

the national government. Local units, however, possessed a

certain degree of autonomy. During Marcos's authoritarian years (1972-86), a Ministry

of Local Government was instituted to invigorate provincial, municipal, and barangay governments. But, Marcos's real purpose was to establish lines of authority that bypassed provincial governments and ran straight to Malacañang. All local officials were beholden to Marcos, who could appoint

or remove any provincial governor or town mayor.


Local Governments at presentAfter the People's Power Revolution, the new Aquino government decided to replace all the local officials who had served Marcos. Corazon Aquino delegated this task to her political ally, Aquilino Pimentel. Pimentel named officers in charge of local governments all across the nation. Local officials elected in 1988 were to serve until June 1992, under the transitory clauses of the new constitution. Thereafter, terms of office were to be three years, with a three-term limit.

On October 10, 1991, The Local Government Code 1991 (R.A. 7160) was signed into law. This Code ordained an authentic and workable local autonomy through the devolution of certain powers from the national government to the local governments.

HOME


BARANGAYA barangay (Filipino: baranggay, is the smallest administrativedivision in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward.


Municipalities and cities are composed of barangays, and they may be further subdivided into smaller areas called purók (English: zone), and sitio, which is a territorial enclave inside a barangay, especially in rural areas. In writing, barangay is sometimes abbreviated to "Brgy." or "Bgy.". As of June 28, 2011 there are a total of 42,026 barangays throughout the Philippines.

SEC. 384. Role of the Barangay. - As the basic political unit, the barangay serves as the primary planning and implementing unit of government policies, plans, programs, projects, and activities in the community, and as a forum wherein the collective views of the people may be expressed, crystallized and considered, and where disputes may be amicably settled.


MUNICIPALITY A municipality (Filipino: bayan; munisipalidad) is a local government unit in the Philippines. Municipalities are also called towns (which is actually a better translation of

"bayan"). They are distinct from cities, which are a different category

of local government unit (LGU).


They have been granted corporate personality enabling them to enact local policies and laws, enforce them, and govern their jurisdictions. They can enter into contracts and other transactions through their elected and appointed officials and can tax. The National Government assists and supervises the local government to make sure that they do not violate national law. Local Governments have their own executive and legislative branches and the checks and balances between these two major branches, along with their separation, are more pronounced than that of the national government. The Judicial Branch of the Republic of the Philippines also caters to the needs of local government units. Local governments, such as a municipalities, do not have their own judicial branch: their judiciary is the same as that of the national government.


A municipality, upon reaching a certain requirements-minimum population size, and minimum annual revenue-may opt to become a city. First, a bill must be passed in Congress, then signed into law by the President and then the residents would vote in the succeeding plebiscite to accept or reject cityhood. One benefit in being a city is that the city government gets more budget, but taxes are much higher than in municipalities. As of September 30, 2009 there are 1,514 municipalities.

SEC. 440. Role of the Municipality. -The municipality, consisting of a group of barangays, serves primarily as a general purpose government for the coordinationand delivery of basic, regular and direct services and effectivegovernance of the inhabitants within its territorial jurisdiction.


CITYA city (lungsod, or sometimes siyudad in Filipino and

Tagalog) is a tier of local government in the Philippines. All

Philippine cities are chartered cities, whose existence as corporate

and administrative entities is governed by their own specific charters in addition to the Local Government Code of

1991, which specifies the administrative structure and political powers of subnational government entities.


Only an Act of Congress can create or amend a city charter, andwith this city charter Congress confers to a city certain powersthat regular municipalities or even other cities may not have. Despite the differences in the powers accorded to each city, all cities regardless of status are given special treatment in termsof being given a bigger share of the internal revenue allotment (IRA) compared to regular municipalities, as well as being generally more autonomous than regular municipalities. There are twelve metropolitan areas in the Philippines as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Metro Manila is the largest conurbation or urban agglomeration in the country, and its official metropolitan area is composed of the city of Manila plus 15 neighboring cities and a municipality. Other metropolitan areas are centered around the cities of Baguio, Dagupan, Angeles, Olongapo, Batangas, Naga, Cebu, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Zamboanga City.


ClassificationThe Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160) classifies all cities into one of three categories:

Highly Urbanized Cities - Cities with a minimum population of two hundred thousand (200,000) inhabitants, as certified by the National Statistics Office, and with the latest annual income of at least Fifty Million Pesos (P50,000,000.00) based on 1991 constant prices, as certified by the city treasurer. There are currently 33 highly urbanized cities in the Philippines, 16 of them located in Metro Manila.


Independent Component Cities - Cities whose charters prohibit their voters from voting for provincial elective officials. Independent component cities are independent of the province.There are five such cities: Dagupan, Cotabato, Naga, Ormoc and Santiago. Component Cities - Cities which do not meet the above requirements are considered component cities of the province in which they are geographically located. If a component city is located within the boundaries of two (2) or more provinces, such city shall be considered a component of the province of which it used to be a municipality.


Class Average annual incomeFirst PHP 400 million or more

Second PHP 320 million or more but less than PHP 400 million

Third PHP 240 million or more but less than PHP 320 million

Fourth PHP 160 million or more but less than PHP 240 million

Fifth PHP 80 million or more but less than PHP 160 million

Sixth below PHP 80 million

Income classificationCities are classified according to average annual income based on the previous 3 calendar years. Effective July 28, 2008 the thresholds for the income classes for cities are:


SEC. 448. Role of the City. – The city, consisting of more urbanized and developed barangays, serves as a general-purpose government for the coordination and delivery of basic, regular, and direct services and effective governance of the inhabitants within its territorial jurisdiction.


PROVINCE The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political

and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component

citiesand municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial government. Each province is administered by an elected governor who oversees various local government entities.


ClassificationProvinces are classified according to average annual income based on the previous 3 calendar years. Effective July 28, 2008 the thresholds for the income classes for cities are Class Average annual income

First ₱ 450 million or more

Second ₱ 360 million or more but less than ₱ 450 million

Third ₱ 270 million or more but less than ₱ 360 million

Fourth ₱ 180 million or more but less than ₱ 270 million

Fifth ₱ 90 million or more but less than ₱ 180 million

Sixth below ₱ 90 million


SEC. 459. Role of the Province. – The province, composed of a cluster of municipalities, or municipalities and component cities, and as a political and corporate unit of government, serves as a dynamic mechanism for developmental processes and effective governance of local government units within its territorial jurisdiction.

HOME

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is the region, located in the Mindanao island group of the Philippines, that is composed of predominantly Muslim provinces, namely: Basilan (except Isabela City), Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It is the only region that has its own government. The regional capital is at Cotabato City, although this city is outside of its jurisdiction.



The ARMM previously included the province of Shariff Kabunsuan until July 16, 2008, when Shariff Kabunsuan ceased to exist as a province after the Supreme Court in Sema v. Comelec declared unconstitutional the "Muslim Mindanao Autonomy Act 201", which created it.


Establishment of the ARMMThe Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao region was first created on August 1, 1989 through Republic Act No. 6734 (otherwise known as the Organic Act) in pursuance with a constitutional mandate to provide for an autonomous area in Muslim Mindanao. A plebiscite was held in the provinces of Basilan, Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Palawan, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur; and in the cities of Cotabato, Dapitan, Dipolog, General Santos, Koronadal, Iligan, Marawi, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa and Zamboanga to determine if their residents would want to be part of the ARMM. Of these areas, only four provinces - Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi - voted favorably for inclusion in the new autonomous region. The ARMM was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990 in Cotabato City, which was designated as its provincial capital.


Province CapitalPopulation

(2000)Area(km²)

Pop. density(per km²)

Basilan Isabela City 408,520 1,994.1 204.9

Lanao del Sur Marawi 1,138,544 12,051.9 94.5

Maguindanao Shariff Aguak 1,273,715 7,142.0 178.3

Shariff Kabunsuan

Datu Odin Sinsuat

103,715 7,142.0 178.3

Sulu Jolo 849,670 2,135.3 397.9

Tawi-Tawi Bongao 450,346 3,426.6 131.4


ARMM Organizational Structure ExecutiveThe region is headed by a Regional Governor. The Regional Governor and Regional Vice Governor are elected directly like regular local executives. Regional ordinances are created by the Regional Assembly, composed of Assemblymen, also elected by direct vote. Regional elections are usually held one year after general elections (national and local) depending on what legislation from the Philippine Congress. Regional officials have a fixed term of three years, which can be extended by an act of Congress. The Regional Governor is the chief executive of the regional government, and is assisted by a cabinet not exceeding 10 members. He appoints the members of the cabinet, subject to confirmation by the Regional Legislative Assembly. He has control of all the regional executive commissions, agencies, boards, bureaus and offices.


Term Governor Party Vice Governor Party

1990–1993 Zacaria Candao Lakas-NUCD Benjamin Loong Lakas-NUCD

1993–1996 Lininding PangandamanLakas-NUCD-UMDP

Nabil TanLakas-NUCD-UMDP

1996–2002 Nurallaj MisuariLakas-NUCD-UMDP

Guimid P. MatalamLakas-NUCD-UMDP

2001 Alvarez IsnajiLakas-NUCD-UMDP

2001–2005 Parouk S. HussinLakas-NUCD-UMDP

Mahid M. MutilanLakas-NUCD-UMDP

2005–2009 Zaldy AmpatuanLakas Kampi CMD

Ansaruddin-Abdulmalik A. AdiongLakas Kampi CMD

2009–2011 Ansaruddin-Abdulmalik A. AdiongaLakas Kampi CMD

Reggie Sahali-GeneraleaLakas Kampi CMD

2011–Present Mujiv Sabbihi Hataman Anak Mindanao Hadja Bainon Karonb Liberal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_Region_in_Muslim_Mindanao




LegislativeThe ARMM has a unicameral Regional Legislative Assembly headed by a Speaker. It is composed of three members for every congressional district. The current membership is 24, where 6 are from Lanao del Sur including Marawi City, 6 from Maguindanao, 6 from Sulu, 3 from Basilan and 3 from Tawi-Tawi.The Regional Legislative Assembly is the legislative branch of the ARMM government. The regular members (3 members/district) and sectoral representatives, have 3-year terms; maximum of 3 consecutive terms.


ARMM powers and basic principles RA 9054 provides that ARMM "shall remain an integral and inseparable part of the national territory of the Republic." The President exercises general supervision over the Regional Governor. The Regional Government has the power to create its own sources of revenues and to levy taxes, fees, and charges, subject to Constitutional provisions and the provisions of RA 9054. The Shariah applies only to Muslims; its applications are limited by pertinent constitutional provisions (prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment).

HOME

News & Politics

Local Governments in the Philippines