Local governments not ready for devolved gov’t services
MANILA, Philippines — The architects of the devolution system transferring basic state services and facilities from the national government to local governments may have the best of intentions, but the move could be fraught with serious oversights and end up with undesired results.
An economic expert raised this concern during a recent webinar that tackled two relatively new laws on excise taxation in the country: Republic Act No. 11346 and RA 11467.
The discussions were organized by the Center for Local Governance & Professional Development Inc.
Novel Bangsal, executive director of the budget and tax research bureau of the House of Representatives, expressed apprehensions that some local governments might not be ready to handle additional responsibilities as an offshoot of the decentralization process.
