Empower Philippine Local Government Units
for national development

In celebration of Local Governance Month, Senator Edgardo J. Angara today reiterated the need to empower local government units, councilors and officials closest to the communities to make the countryside bloom and local enterprise thrive.

"The overarching problem of a highly centralized government stifles the creativity of local leaders. Sure we now give the LGUs forty-five percent of the Internal Revenue Allotment, but autonomy to the local government means more than money," Angara stressed.

Angara said that genuine autonomy meant opportunity for local residents and localities to create their own sources of revenue by way of attracting tourists and investments in their respective provinces.

"Autonomy ensures the freedom to utilize their own localities' strengths and potentials. By doing so, we encourage economic growth, fuel business development and create employment opportunities," he said.

Angara said that a highly centralized government continues to create unhealthy relationship between the center and the provinces.

"For instance, when a mayor from a far-flung municipality wants to go to Taiwan or Hong Kong to secure investments, or tout his region's tourism potential, he has to seek permission first from the Secretary of Local Government and Malacañang. This illustrates the control that Metro Manila has over the provinces," Angara said.

Angara also said that the present form of a highly centralized, highly bureaucratic government continues to hamper development. Its structure was introduced by the Philippine Bill of 1902 to replace military rule, and was an attempt to install a civilian government, one that was especially designed to control an archipelago.

"Our government structure is a remnant of our colonial past. Seventy-one years after we first adopted the Philippine Constitution, we still have the same administrative setup, the same kind of almost feudalistic system," Angara said.

He also added, "When Spain, after the death of Francisco Franco, gave genuine autonomy to each of its provinces, the country boomed spectacularly. It is now one of the most prosperous members of the European Union, with tourism as a key driver of the economy. Why? That's because genuine autonomy enabled local leaders to discover their creativity and maximize available resources."

Last month, Angara launched the Ten Outstanding Councilors Award in coordination with the Philippine Jaycees Incorporated to recognize and to inspire the councilors to become development-oriented. The ten outstanding councilors will each be awarded 100,000 worth of projects coming from Angara's community development fund. The primary criterion in selecting such top ten councilors is the quality of local legislation sponsored.