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Art X Local Government
Art X Local Government
1. Autonomous regions
2. Provinces and cities independent from a province
3. Component cities and municipalities
4. Barangays
All divisions below the regional level are called "local government units (LGUs)."
According to the Constitution, the LGUs "shall enjoy local autonomy", and in which the president
exercises "general supervision". Congress enacted the Local Government Code of 1991 "which shall
provide for a more responsive and accountable local government structure instituted through a system of
decentralization with effective mechanisms of recall, initiative, and referendum, allocate among the
different local government units their powers, responsibilities, and resources, and provide for the
qualifications, election, appointment and removal, term, salaries, powers and functions and duties of local
officials, and all other matters relating to the organization and operation of local units.
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.
A city is governed by the mayor; its legislature is the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
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.
Barangay
Barangays are the smallest of the independently elected Local Government Units. Barangays can be
further divided into sitios and puroks but those divisions do not have leaders elected in formal elections
supervised by the national government.
A barangay's executive is the Punong Barangay or barangay captain and its legislature is
the Sangguniang Barangay, composed of barangay captain, the Barangay Kagawads (barangay
councilors) and theSK chairman. The SK chairman also leads a separate assembly for youth,
the Sangguniang Kabataan or SK.
The center of governance is the barangay hall.
branch is composed of :
Local autonomy is the exercise of certain basic powers, i.e. police power, power of eminent
domain, and taxing power, by local government units so as to best serve the interest and promote
the general well being of their inhabitants.
By express constitutional mandate, enjoyment of local autonomy by the territorial and political
subdivisions, i.e. all government units including the two autonomous regions (actually just one:
ARMM), is now a basic state policy.RA 7160: 1991 Local Government CodeSec. 15. As a body
politic and corporate, every LGU shall exercise its powers as a political subdivision of the
government and as a corporate entity representing the inhabitants of its territory.
Fiscal Autonomy may be defined simply as the right of the Local Government Units (LGUs) to appropriate or set
apart their own revenues for a specific use with minimum external restraint.
Fiscal autonomy is guarantee given by the Constitution to certain units of the government giving
them the right to appropriate or set apart their own revenues for a specific use.
The units that have been given fiscal autonomy are the:
constitutional commissions, the ombudsman and the judiciary.