Problems in Local Government
Problems in Local Government
Problems in Local Government
A TERM PAPER
SISON, YOLANDA C.
1ST SEMESTER
I3P
The institutions of local government vary greatly between countries, and even
where similar arrangements exist, the terminology often varies. Common names for local
government entities include state, province, region, department, county, prefecture,
district, city, township, town, borough, parish,municipality, shire and village.
Local affairs can best be regulated by the people in the locality rather than by the
central authority.
The acts of the local government units affect the ordinary citizen more directly
than those of the national government.
The average citizen has more and closer contacts with the local governments and
their agencies than with the national or provincial government, and is more
concerned with the local affairs than with those of the national or provincial in
scope.
It generates and maximizes the use of resources and revenues for the development
plans, programme objectives and priorities of a province with particular attention
to agro-industrial development and country-wide growth and progress.
III. TERRITORIAL AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES
Provinces
Outside the lone autonomous region, the provinces are the highest-level LGUs.
The provinces are organized into component cities and municipalities. A province is
governed by the governor; its legislature is the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Cities
Cities are of somewhat complex matter; most cities are component cities in which
they are a part of a province. Several other cities are highly urbanized cities and
independent component cities, these cities are not politically a part of any province, hence
city residents are not allowed to run for provincial offices. Cities are composed of
barangays.
Municipalities
Municipalities are always a part of a province except for Pateros which was
separated from Rizal to form Metro Manila. Just as cities, municipalities are composed of
barangays. A municipality is governed by the mayor; its legislature is the Sangguniang
Bayan.
Barangays
Barangays are the smallest-level but an independent body of a Local Government
Unit (LGU). Its manner of creation and function is prescribed by the Local Government
Code of 1991. Barangays are informally divided into sitios and puroks. The center of
governance both for executive and legislative function is the barangay hall.
A barangay is governed by the Punong Barangay or barangay captain; its
legislature is the Sangguniang Barangay composed of Barangay Kagawad (barangay
councilors) and the SK chairperson. A separate assembly for the youth sector,
the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) also exists for youth-oriented projects.
Local Autonomy
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). In 2001, a plebiscite confirmed the previous composition of the
autonomous region, and added Basilan except the city of Isabela, and Marawi in Lanao
del Sur within its jurisdiction; however Isabela City is still politically a part of Basilan
despite rejecting inclusion.
A 1998 plebiscite for the creation of a "Cordillera Autonomous Region" was only
approved by the voters of Ifugao; as a result, the Supreme Court (Ordillo vs. Comelec;
G.R. No. 93054) ruled that a region must be composed of more than one province. The
proposed Cordillera Autonomous Region never came to be and the provinces were
reorganized into the Cordillera Administrative Region without the expanded powers of an
autonomous region. An autonomous region is governed by the regional governor; its
legislature is the regional legislative assembly.
DECENTRALIZATION
1. Political decentralization
2. Fiscal decentralization
3. Economic decentralization
Privatization and deregulation shift responsibility for functions from the public to
the private sector and is another type of decentralization. Privatization and deregulation are
usually, but not always, accompanied by economic liberalization and market development
policies. They allow functions that had been primarily or exclusively the responsibility of
government to be carried out by businesses, community groups, cooperatives, private voluntary
associations, and other non-government organizations. Democratization however involves either
state or private enterprises being transferred to employee-ownership and democratic control in
the form of worker self-management, usually in the form of cooperatives and mutual businesses.
V. PERCIEVED PROBLEM
One of the problems of the Local Government Units of our country includes lack
of communication to the National Government and so the system of processing the
remedies to certain problems in some places takes months or years to be resolved, same
with the cases during calamities, complains and problems in shortage of relief goods for
flood victims takes few days before acknowledged by our National Government and
another few days of waiting before the goods reached the victims.
VI. SUGGESTION
The National Government shall establish offices that will help the local
government units for better communication process and for faster service during
calamities and other events.