Eastern Visayas execs welcome Marcos’ move to reconsider implementation of ‘devolution’ order

FILE PHOTO: Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net

TACLOBAN CITY — Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone welcomes has welcomed the move of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to study and review an executive order issued by his predecessor on devolution.

Evardone hoped that this devolution order would be scrapped as it only adds a financial burden to local governments.

Devolution is the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration

“We welcome this move of President Marcos to seriously consider the deferment of the devolution of some national projects and programs to local government units as a result of the Supreme Court ruling,” Evardone said in a text message.

READ: Gov’t reviewing EO on devolution of some nat’l functions to LGUs – Marcos Jr.

Marcos, in his speech on Thursday, February 23, before the gathering of municipal mayors in the country, said he was seriously considering reviewing Executive Order No. 138 which provides full devolution of certain functions of the national government to local governments.

Mayor Remedios Petilla of Palo, Leyte, said they have been asking the national government to suspend the devolution considering that local governments have been hounded by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ: Think tank: LGUs not yet ready for devolution

Petilla, who is the president of the mayors’ league in the province, said that insisting on the implementation of the devolution would surely hamper the operations of the local governments.

“They just want to do this devolution without giving us more funds which is very unfair for us LGUs. That is why, we have been lobbying for its suspension until we can recover due to the pandemic,” she said.