House to heed Marcos’ call for bigger fund for LGUs

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. (right) and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez (left)  (Photo from the Office of Speaker Romualdez)

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives will heed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.’s call for local government units (LGUs) get a bigger share in the national budget, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Tuesday.

Romualdez also announced during his speech at the general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) in Pasay City that the House of Representatives is deliberating bills that would increase the national tax allotment for LGUs even more.

“Ang utos ng ating Pangulo: Gawin lahat ang nararapat at kailangan para makinabang ang inyong mga komunidad sa pag-unlad ng buong bansa,” Romualdez said.

 (The directive of our President os do everything needed and rightfully so that communities would benefit from the country’s progress.)

“This initiative seeks to deepen local government engagement in national development, ensuring the growth and progress we envision are experienced at the community level.  Ramdam po ng national government ang pangangailangan ninyo. Alam namin na kailangan ninyo ang lahat ng tulong mula sa national government para mai-angat ang kabuhayan ng ating mamamayan,” he added.

(The national government understands your needs, we know that you really need help from the national government so that the lives of people would improve.)

According to Romualdez, the House of Representatives has allocated more funds to LGUs due to the Supreme Court’s Mandanas-Garcia ruling, which augmented the share of local governments from national taxes.

 “This ruling signifies a transformative shift, aimed at enhancing the fiscal autonomy of LGUs, thereby empowering you to better address local developmental needs. The 2024 budget reflects this change, ensuring a larger portion of the [NTA] is directed to local governments,” he said.

Romualdez, however, admitted that even with the Mandanas-Garcia ruling, the share of LGUs are not enough to make significant progress especially for LGUs that need help.

Increasing the share of LGUs, the Speaker said, would also allow both the national government and the local government to work in “effectively integrating local health systems in the implementation of Universal Health Care”. (With reports from Barbara Gutierrez, INQUIRER.net intern)