Chapter 5

Local Government, Autonomy, and

Decentralization
What is Local Government?

Local Government is defined as “political

subdivision of a nation or state constituted by
law, which has substantial control over local
affairs, including the power to impose taxes,
the governing body of which is elected or
appointed’. The concept in this context is
viewed as an extension of the national
government supported by an enabling law
which further delineates all the specifics.
What is Local Governance?

The concept of Local Governance is to be

understood along the line of good
governance that hinges on the close
partnership between the government,
business community, and the civil society.
Local Governance refers to “the
corresponding processes and structures at
sub-national levels. It is affected by the
scheme of distributing power and resources
among the hierarchy of areas in a given
territory which may range from centralization
to decentralization” (Cariňo, 1998).
Conceptual Perspectives on Local Governance

Principle of Principle of Fiscal Principle of

Jurisdictional Design Equivalency Correspondence
Focuses on the idea Argues that a political Takes into consideration
that the closer a jurisdiction and benefit the importance of
representative area must be exact. It jurisdiction vis-à-vis
government to the explains the idea that benefit. It also says that
people the better it the people and territory the jurisdiction that
works. This principle of the local unit must be determines the level of
suggests that decision commensurate with the provision of public good
making should occur at benefit that it will should include precisely
the lowest level of provide. the set of individuals
government. who consume the good.
Conceptual Perspectives on Local Governance

Principle of Principle of
Decentralization Subsidiarity
This principle argues Argues that the taxing,
that the public service spending, and
should be provided by regulating functions
the jurisdiction having should be exercised at
control over the the lower levels of the
minimum geographic government unless a
area that will internalize convincing situation
the benefits and costs can be made for
of such provision. assigning them to the
higher levels.
Evolution of Local Government in the Philippines

The local government system in the

Philippines is influenced heavily by the
different colonial masters that conquered the
country for hundreds of years. The Spaniards
together with the Americans left their
respective colonial imprints which was never
expected to last even until the present time.
In the local structure and other processes, the
colonial masters of the country have
ostensibly introduced many of their systems
that are still noticeable at the moment.
Nature and Attributes of Local Governments

» It is political in nature.
» It is a political subdivision of the state constituted by law.
» It enjoys a certain degree of autonomy.
» It is independent from other local government units.
» It is authorized to exercise corporate powers.
» It is not totally divorced from the national government.
Local Government Structure in the Philippines

Barangay
It is considered as the smallest political unit in
the Philippines. Its role as provided in the
Local Government of 1991 is to plan and
implement government policies, programs,
projects, and activities in the community. It
also serves as the forum for expressing,
crystallizing, and considering the collective
views of the people and amicably settling
disputes.
Local Government Structure in the Philippines

Municipality
Composed of several barangays, serves as a
general purpose government for the
coordination and delivery of basic, regular,
and direct services and the effective
governance of the inhabitants within its
territorial jurisdiction. The municipality in the
words of Raul De Guzman and Mila Reforma
(1992) is designed therefore for service
delivery in the local community.
Local Government Structure in the Philippines

City
The city takes the same role with that of the
municipality being a general purpose
government for the coordination and delivery
of basic, regular, and direct services within its
jurisdiction. However, it differs from the
municipality on the basis of income,
population size, and level of urbanization. The
city also differs from the municipality in that it
provides all the basic services to the public
while the latter is not.
Local Government Structure in the Philippines

Province
The province is a political subdivision in the
country composed of municipalities and
component cities. Its role according to the
Local Government Code of 1991 is to serve as
an effective mechanism in the development
process and assume basically area-wide
functions, roles, and activities. It serves as the
frontrunner of the national government in
introducing developments and reforms in the
countryside.
Local Government Structure in the Philippines

Region
The region is a unique political subdivision
composed of several provinces or highly
urbanized cities that is created by an organic
law. The Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) is the only region that
satisfies the full requirement of a regional
government. It should be noted, however,
that the Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao is now replaced by the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao (BARMM).
Policymaking in the Local Government Units

Unlike the process at the national level,

policymaking in the local level takes place in a
smaller unicameral body that is composed of
the members elected from the different
districts of the concerned local government
unit. The institution where the proposed
policy is processed is known as the
“Sanggunian” and the policymakers that push
for the approval of the policy are called as
“Councilors”.
Personnel Administration in the Local Government Units

The local personnel administration is another

important aspect of local governance as the
performance of a particular local government
unit hinges on the kind of people that are
manning the different local positions. In the
local government, the local chief executive
takes the responsibility of managing all the
personnel matters. Even the responsibility for
the development its human resources is a
function of the local chief executive.
Fiscal Administration in the Local Government Units

Local fiscal administration refers basically to

the management of the often-limited
financial resources of the different local
government units of a specific country. Also
known as “local public finance”, this concept
centers on the three pivotal areas of
generation of revenues, allocation and
utilization of revenues, and the management
and control of these revenues according to
Sta. Rita et.al., 2014).
Decentralization and Local Autonomy

As a concept, decentralization is different

from that of local autonomy. Decentralization
is a stage necessary to reach the desired
condition of local autonomy. More specifically,
decentralization is the dispersal of authority
and responsibility and the allocation of
powers and functions from the center or top
level of government to the lower levels, from
the central government to regional bodies or
special purpose authorities, or from the
national to the sub-national levels of
government.
Decentralization and Local Autonomy

Local autonomy on the other hand is a state of

self-administration and a measure of self-
government achieved by sub-national units
when the powers to control local affairs and
make decisions are exercised with a
considerable degree of independence from
the national government. The idea of local
autonomy in this context is the ability of any
political subdivision to determine its own
existence and administer its people without
relying on the national government.
Forms of Decentralization

Devolution Deconcentration Privatization

Pertains to the transfer Refers to the delegation Privatization is probably
of powers and other of powers from the the easiest to
responsibilities to the national government to understand among the
local government units the different local three important forms of
in order to make them government units. decentralization in the
self-reliant and Delegation happens sense that it entails the
autonomous. The within the administrative transfer of ownership
transfer of powers structure from the from the public to the
likewise intends to national government private.
make them more agencies to their
responsive. regional offices.
Imperatives for Decentralization to Work

The concept of decentralization is not that

difficult to understand, however, to see how it
works will be a more difficult process. For
decentralization to succeed, there are some
requirements that must be complied with.
These imperatives include leadership,
structure, resources, and personnel which
existence is necessary before any meaningful
decentralization can proceed in a particular
community (Ocampo-Salvador, 1999).