In his speech during the general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) at the Manila Hotel, Marcos said they are studying very carefully Executive Order 138, issued by then President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2021 to aid the efficient implementation of the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on the Mandanas-Garcia case and strengthen the autonomy and empowerment of LGUs.
“Tingnan natin na siguro may mga function kasi na binibigay sa local, hindi naman dapat sa local talaga,” he said.
(Let’s see if there are functions that are provided locally but shouldn’t really be local.)
“And so that’s what we are examining, asahan ninyo as I said that we are taking very seriously the issues that have come out from the Mandanas ruling and how we will implement it because hopefully by next year, by 2024, mag-i-improve na ang ating koleksiyon kasi sa 2021, medyo maganda-ganda, medyo umaahon na ‘yung ekonomiya, baka mayroon naman talaga tayong makuha,” he added.
(And so that’s what we are examining. As I said, expect that we are taking very seriously the issues that have come out from the Mandanas ruling and how we will implement it because hopefully by next year, by 2024, we will improve our collection because in 2021, it’s pretty good, the economy is picking up a bit, maybe we’ll actually get something.)
Marcos was referring to the SC decision in favor of the petition filed by Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas and former Bataan governor Enrique Garcia Jr. that LGUs are entitled to a “just share” of all collected national taxes, including those from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and other tax collecting agencies, not just state internal revenue tax collections.
With the expected increase in the just shares of LGUs, they will be better equipped to assume responsibility for the delivery of devolved services as prescribed under Section 17 of the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160) and other pertinent laws.
Marcos said the implementation of the Mandanas ruling is one of the most significant issues faced by the government.
He raised the need to coordinate and synchronize all the activities at the national and local level.
“And again, the growth of our economy, the transformation of our economy will always start from the ground level. And if we do not give our local leaders the opportunity to show what it is that they feel are most important, pinakamahalagang proyekto, pinakamagandang iba’t ibang gagawin, mga initiative, programa (most important projects, best things to do, initiatives, programs),” said Marcos.
The President also assured local governments that his administration would listen to their needs and extend assistance if necessary. (SunStar Philippines)