Local government in the Philippines

Local government in the Philippines is divided into four levels: 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.

Levels of local government

Autonomous regions Main article: Regions of the Philippines 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. 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 andindependent 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. 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.

Officials and Offices

Just as the national government, local governments are divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judiciary. The judicial branch is administered solely by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The LGUs have control of the executive and legislative branch. The executive branch is composed of the regional governor for the autonomous region, governor for the provinces, mayor for the cities and municipalities, and the barangay captain for the barangays. The legislative branch is composed of the Regional Legislative Assembly for the autonomous region, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial assembly) for the provinces, Sangguniang Panlungsod (city assembly) for the cities, Sangguniang Bayan (town assembly) for the municipalities, Sangguniang Barangay (barangay council), and the Sangguniang Kabataan for the youth sector. Assemblies The assemblies review the ordinances and resolutions enacted by the assemblies below its jurisdiction. Aside from regular and ex-officio members, the assemblies above the barangay level also have three sectoral representatives, one each from women, agricultural or industrial workers, and other sectors. LGU Assembly

Composition 24 members:

Head Assembly speaker

Autonomous Regional region Legislative

Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu: 6 each, 3 elected from each assembly district

Assembly

Basilan (except Isabela City), Tawi-Tawi: 3 each, elected at-large

Sectoral representatives varies, as of 2007:

Cebu, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan: 12 SP members, 2 elected from each district All other first class and second class provinces: 10 SP members, with varying number of members per district Third class and fourth class provinces: 8 SP members, Vice governor with varying number of members per district Fifth class and sixth class provinces: 6 SP members, with varying number of members per district

Province

Sangguniang Panlalawigan

President of the provincial chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay President of the provincial federation of the Sangguniang Kabataan Sectoral representatives varies, as of 2007:[4]

Manila: 36 councilors, 6 elected from each district Davao City: 24 councilors, 8 elected from each district Quezon City: 24 councilors, 6 elected from each district Antipolo, Cagayan de Oro,[5] Cebu City, Makati, Muntinlupa, Paraaque, Zamboanga City: 16 councilors, 8 elected from each district Rest of Metro Manila, Calbayog, San Jose del Monte: 12 councilors, 6 elected from each district Samal, Sorsogon City: 12 councilors, 4 elected from each district Baguio, General Santos, Iloilo City, San Fernando (La Union), Tuguegarao: 12 councilors, elected at-large All other cities: 10 councilors, elected at-large Vice mayor

City

Sangguniang Panlungsod

President of the city chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay President of the city federation of the Sangguniang Kabataan Sectoral representatives

varies:

Pateros, Metro Manila: 12 councilors, 6 elected from each district All other municipalities: 8 councilors, elected at-large Vice mayor

Municipality

Sangguniang Bayan

President of the municipal chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay President of the municipal federation of the Sangguniang Kabataan Sectoral representatives 7 members elected at-large Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson

Sangguniang Barangay Barangay Sangguniang Kabataan

Barangay captain Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson

7 members elected at-large

ARMM assembly districts are similar in territorial composition of congressional districts, except for the Basilan assembly district, which, unlike the congressional district of Basilan, does not includeIsabela City, and the 1st Maguindanao assembly district, which, unlike the 1st congressional district of Maguindanao, does not include Cotabato City. Each ARMM assembly district elects 3 members to the regional assembly that convenes in Cotabato City. Elected officials All elected officials have 3-year terms, and can only serve a maximum of three consecutive terms before being ineligible for reelection.[6] LGU Official Minimum age (18 is the voting age)

Regional governor

35 years old on election day

Autonomous region

Regional vice governor

Same as regional governor

Regional legislative assembly member

21 years old on election day

Provinces

Governor

23 years old on election day

Vice governor

Same as governor

Sangguniang Panlalawigan member

Same as governor

Mayor

Same as governor

Highly urbanized cities

Vice mayor

Same as governor

Sangguniang Panlungsod member (Councilor)

Same as governor

Mayor

21 years old on election day

Independent component and component cities

Vice mayor

Same as independent component and component city mayor

Sangguniang Panlungsod member (Councilor)

Same as independent component and component city mayor

Mayor

Same as independent component and component city mayor

Municipalities

Vice mayor

Same as independent component and component city mayor

Sangguniang Bayan member (Councilor)

Same as independent component and component city mayor

Barangay

Barangay captain

18 years old on election day

Barangay kagawad

Same as barangay captain

Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson

15 to 21 years old on election day*

Sangguniang Kabataan member

Same as Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson*

*a Sangguniang Kabataan official who has surpassed 21 years of age while in office is allowed to serve for the rest of the term. Offices that are common to municipalities, cities and provinces There are 20 offices in a government, whether it's municipal, city or provincial. There are some mandatory and optional offices to the government. Office Head Municipality City Province

Office of the Secretary to the Sanggunian

Secretary to the Sanggunian

Treasurer's Office

Treasurer

Assessor's Office

Assessor

Accounting Office

Accountant

Budget Office

Budget Officer

Planning and Development Office

Planning and Development Coordinator

Engineer's Office

Engineer

Health Office

Health Officer

Office of the Civil Registry

Civil Registrar

Office of the Administrator

Administrator

Office of the Legal Services

Legal Officer

Office of Agricultural Services/Office of the Agriculturist

Agriculturist

(Office of) Social Welfare and Development Office

Social Welfare and Development Officer

(Office of) Environment and Natural Resources Office

Environment and Natural Resources Officer

Office of Architectural Planning and Design

Architect

Office of Public Information

Information Officer

Office for the Development of Cooperatives/Cooperatives Development Office

Cooperatives Officer

Population Office

Population Officer

Veterinary Office/Office of Veterinary Services

Veterinarian

(Office of) General Services Office Legend: - Mandatory

General Services Officer

? - Optional X - Not Applicable Source: Local Government Code of 1991

Creation and modification of LGUs

As a matter of principle, higher legislative entities have the power to create, divide, merge, abolish, or substantially alter boundaries of any lower-level LGU through a law or by an ordinance, all subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite to be conducted by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in the local government unit or units directly affected. The Local Government Code has also set requisites for creating local government units. A summary can be found in the table below: Legislative bodies that can create, merge, abolish or substantially alter the boundaries of the LGU

LGU

Area

Population

Income

Province

2,000 square kilometers*

250,000*

P20 million for the last two (2) consecutive years based on 1991 constant prices

Congress^

City

100 square kilometers*

150,000*

P100 million for the last two (2) consecutive years based on 2000 constant prices P2.5 million for the last two (2) consecutive years based on 1991 constant prices

Congress^

Municipality

50 square kilometers

25,000

Congress ARMM Regional Assembly

Barangay

None

5,000 (Metro Manila and highly-urbanized None cities) 2,000 (rest of the country)

Congress ARMM Regional Assembly Sangguniang Panlalawigan, with recommendation from the concerned Sangguniang Bayan(s) required

Sangguniang Panlungsod

*either area or population; meeting only one of these requirements is sufficient ^The ARMM Regional Assembly was conferred by Congress (through Article VI, Section 19 of Republic Act 9054) the power to create or modify lower-level LGUs under its jurisdiction, including provinces and cities. However, the Supreme Court's decision on the unconstitutionality of the now-defunct province of Shariff Kabunsuan[11] has effectively confined the regional assembly's powers to creating or modifying only municipalities and barangays.

National Institutions:

Office of the President o Office of the Press Secretary Philippine Information Agency Philippines News Agency Radio-Television Malacaang o National Economic and Development Authority National Statistics Office Pambansang Lupon sa Ugnayang Pang-Estadistika [National Statistical Coordination Board] Commission on Population Tariff Commission Philippine Institute for Development Studies o Public Estates Authority o Cooperative Development Authority o Metropolitan Manila Development Authority o National Security Council o National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women o Commission on Higher Education o Presidential Commission on Educational Reform House of Representatives Department of Agrarian Reform Department of Agriculture o Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension o Bureau of Agricultural Statistics o National Food Authority o Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority o Philippine Rice Research Institute Department of Budget and Management Department of Education, Culture and Sports <additional site> o Bureau of Nonformal Education Department of Energy Department of Environment and Natural Resources <additional site> o Environmental Management Bureau o Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau o National Mapping and Resource Information Authority

Department of Finance o Bureau of Internal Revenue o Bureau of Customs o Securities and Exchange Commission Department of Foreign Affairs o Commission on Filipinos Overseas Department of Health o Bureau of Food and Drugs o Bureau of International Health Cooperation o Research Institute for Tropical Medicine Department of the Interior and Local Government Department of Justice o Office of the Solicitor General Department of Labor and Employment o Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics o Bureau of Labor Relations o Bureauof Local Employment o Bureau of Rural Workers o Philippine Overseas Employment Administration o Overseas Workers Welfare Administration o Technical Education and Skills Development Authority o Information and Publication Service o Institute for Labor Studies o Occupational Safety and Health Center o National Conciliation and Mediation Board o National Wages and Productivity Commission Regional Tripartite Wages & Productivity Board, Region VII Regional Tripartite Wages & Productivity Board, Region IX Department of National Defense o Armed Forces of the Philippines Philippine Army Philippine Air Force Philippine Navy Department of Public Works and Highways Department of Science and Technology o Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration o Advanced Science and Technology Institute o Science and Technology Information Institute o Science Education Institute o Industrial Technology Development Institute o Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology o Food and Nutrition Research Institute o Forest Products Research and Development Institute o Philippine Nuclear Research Institute <additional site> o National Computer Center o Metals Industry Research and Development Center o Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development o Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development o Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development

Philippine Council for Health Research and Development Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development Department of Social Welfare and Development Department of Tourism o Philippine Tourism Authority o Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation Department of Trade and Industry o Bureau of Product Standards o Bureau of Trade Regulations and Consumer Protection o Bureau of Small and Medium Business Development o Bureau of Domestic Trade Promotion o Bureau of Export Trade Promotion o Bureau of Import Services o Bureau of International Trade Relations o Intellectual Property Office o Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines o Philippine Economic Zone Authority o Board of Investments o Bonded Export Marketing Board o Garments and Textile Export Board o National Industrial Manpower Training Council o Information Technology and E-Commerce Council Department of Transportation and Communications o Air Transportation Office o Philippine Ports Authority o Maritime Industry Authority o National Telecommunications Commission Bases Conversion Development Authority Social Security System Paseguruhan ng mga Naglilingkod sa Pamahalaan [Government Service Insurance System] Career Executive Service Board Local Water Utilities Administration National Commission for Culture and the Arts National Youth Commission Civil Service Commission Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) [Central Bank of the Philippines] Commission on Elections Commission on Audit Supreme Court of the Philippines
o o

Regional Institutions:

Province of Bohol Province of Bulacan Province of Negros Occidental

Municipal Institutions:

Municipality of Cantilan

City of Cebu General Santos City City of Makati City of Manila City of Naga City of Pasig Puerto Princesa City

Representations in Foreign Countries:

Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, Arab Emirates Philippine Embassy in Canberra, Australia Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, Australia Philippine Embassy in Vienna, Austria Philippine Embassy in Brussels, Belgium Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, Canada Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, Canada Philippine Consulate General in Guangzhou, China (People's Republic) Honorary Consulate of the Philippines in Potsdam, Germany Philippine Embassy in London, Great Britain and Northern Ireland Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, Japan Philippine Tourism Office in Tokyo, Japan Philippine Embassy in Amman, Jordan Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Philippine Consulate in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands Philippine Embassy in Moscow, Russian Federation Philippine Embassy in Singapore Philippine Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa Philippine Embassy in Ankara, Turkey Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, United States of America Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu, United States of America Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, United States of America Philippine Consulate General in New York, United States of America Philippine Embassy in Washington, United States of America Philippine Mission to the European Union in Brussels Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York Philippine Permanent Delegation to the UNESCO in Paris

Political Parties:

National Democratic Front (NDF) Akbayan [Citizens' Action Party]