PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. disclosed on Friday that he will come up with a new executive order on the implementation of the Mandanas ruling to further strengthen the coordination and partnership between the local and the national government.
“You are not working in a vacuum,” Marcos told the 4th General Assembly of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) in Pampanga where he underscored the importance of a harmonized relationship between the national government and the local government units (LGUs).
“We are watching, we are asking, we are consulting with you. And in that way, we will come out with a good Executive Order at the end of the year for a good implementation of the very important Supreme Court decision now we call the Mandanas-Garcia ruling,” Marcos said in referring to the landmark Supreme Court ruling regarding the administrative autonomy of LGUs.
Marcos said he postponed for one year the implementation of Executive Order No. 138, which was issued to support the efficient implementation of the SC ruling and strengthen the autonomy and empowerment of the LGUs.
The suspended EO also directs the full devolution of certain functions of the executive branch to the LGUs.
“We gave ourselves until the end of the year 2023 – until the end of this year. And I will sign another executive order putting into place all – and defining very clearly which of the services, which of the functions belong to the local government and which belong to the national government,” Marcos said, noting also that this will allow local officials the opportunity to act on their own initiatives.
“It does not mean na walang made-devolve. Mayroong mga made-devolve na function. Pero ang kaibahan dito, ‘yung pag-devolve ng function may kasabay na item, may kasabay na funding, may kasabay na training. So, we are trying to get around that,” he added.
He also assured the local officials that they will continue to have an exchange of ideas and see the practical considerations.
“That is what we are trying to calibrate now – how do we do that so that the local governments are able to perform their functions and are able to provide the services to their constituents that are expected and that are mandated by the Local Government Code,” Marcos said.
Marcos expressed confidence that the local government officials will be able to perform well as they know the real situation in their respective jurisdictions.
Marcos, who previously served as Vice Governor, Governor and 2nd District Representative of Ilocos Norte, emphasized that “the best talents come from the local government.”
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