President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (file photo)
MANILA, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos said that while Executive Order No. 138, signed by his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2021, “looks okay on paper,” some LGUs — particularly the poorer ones — will suffer from the devolution due to lack of budget.
“Maraming inilipat na function at inilagay sa local government. Iyong ibang lugar – hindi ‘yung mga mayayaman dito sa NCR pero ‘yung mga ibang lugar – kung kakalkulahin mo, lugi pa ang munisipyo doon sa naging EO,” he said in his speech at the League of Municipalities of the Philippines 2023 General Assembly in Manila.
(Many functions of the national government were passed to the local government. If we calculate it, some areas — those who are not as wealthy as those in Metro Manila — are at a disadvantage due to the EO.)
EO 138 provides for the full devolution of certain functions of the executive branch of the government – including implementation of local infrastructure projects–to LGUs.
The order was in line with the Supreme Court’s Mandanas-Garcia ruling, where LGUs are given a 40-percent share in the total collection of national taxes.
With a higher share in tax collections, the LGUs are expected to implement big-ticket projects and programs to be transferred to them by the national government.
Marcos said his administration has been studying the EO for one year since it was not implemented in 2024.
“Kung ganito ang mangyayari na lugi pa ang local government dahil sa EO ay palagay ko, nabigo yata ‘yung ating hinahabol. So that’s why we gave ourselves one year,” the President said.
(But if the EO makes other local governments suffer more, I think the objective of the order was not realized.)