Mindanao State University
Graduate School
MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Tamontaka, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

I – Introduction:
The history of national-local relations in the Philippines is characterized by centralism. The central government from the Spanish regime up to now maintained a very strong control and influence over local governments. The evidence of such centralist tendency is Section 4, Article X of the 1987 Constitution which provides that, “The President of the Philippines shall exercise general supervision over local governments. Provinces with respect to component cities and municipalities and cities and municipalities with respect to component barangays shall ensure that the acts of their component units are within the scope of their prescribed powers and functions.”

The President has control of all the executive departments, bureaus, and offices pursuant to Section 17, Article VII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution but has only the power of general supervision over all local governments.

II – The Concept and Legal Basis of Local Governments:
Local government refers to a political subdivision of a state which is constituted by law having substantial control of local affairs, with officials elected or otherwise locally selected.
The legal basis of the existence of local governments is Section 1, Article X of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that, “The territorial and political subdivision of the Republic of the Philippines are the provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays.”

III – The Elements of Local Governments:
The elements of local governments according to Anderson are the following: A. Territory;
B. Population;
C. Continuous organization;
D. Separate legal identity;
E. Independence from other local units;
F. Governmental powers and functions; and
G. Power to raise revenues.

IV – The Dual Status and Corporate Powers of Local Governments:
By statutory provisions, local governments are considered political bodies corporate for the administration of the affairs of the community within their territorial boundaries. As incorporated entities, they are classified as municipal or public corporations and as such possess dual character:

A. In their public or governmental functions – local governments are agent of the State, and for that purpose exercise by delegation a part of the sovereignty of the State such as:
1. the imposition and collection of taxes;
2. preservation of peace and order; and
3. the establishment of schools.
B. In their private or corporate functions – local governments are mere legal entities (similar to a business corporation) performing functions not strictly governmental. They act as a corporate body for their own purposes and not as subdivisions of the State. It is in this character that they operate, for instance, public utilities (e.g. electricity and waterworks, etc.) and public markets. The underlying test of whether an act of a local government is “governmental” or “corporate” is whether that act performed is for the common good or for the special benefit or profit of the corporate entity.

The local government as a corporation shall have the following powers:
1. To have continuous succession of its corporate name;
2. To sue and be sued;
3. To have and use a corporate seal;
4. To acquire and convey real or personal property;
5. To enter into contracts; and
6. To exercise such other powers as are granted to corporations, subject to limitations provided in the Local Government Code and other laws.

V – Reasons Why Local Governments Exist:
Local governments exist for the following reasons:
A. Interest articulation – local governments allows individuals and communities in general to express their needs and aspirations and bring them up as an agenda for discussion in public decision making process.

B. Functions of democracy – the concept of people empowerment as well as the principle of popular participation in the decision-making process is the essence of democracy.
C. Local autonomy – local government by definition is a translation of self-rule which give life and breath to the concept of autonomy.
D. Efficiency in administration – with the additional powers and authority granted to local governments through the process of decentralization, local officials and functionaries can now effectively and efficiently manage and administer local affairs and make them self-reliant...

/private 00 1 10 11 12 127 128 17 1900s 1959 1967 1973 1987 1991 1992 2 24 3 311 375 383 384 4 41 475 492 5 50 510 511 533 536 6 7 7160 8 80 86 9 972 abil academ accept accord account achiev acquir act activ actual addit address adequ adequaci administ administr adopt affair agenc agenda agent agricultur allevi alloc allow also among anderson appoint approach approv aquino areal articl articul asid aspir attain author autonom autonomi b background balanc barangay barrio base basi basic beacon behavior belong benefici benefit best better bodi book boundari breath bring broader build bureaucraci bureaus busi c call came capabl capit categori center central centralist centuri certain chang charact character charter citi citizen civil clamor classifi clear clock close cockfight cockpit code collect coloni common communiti community-bas compet complet complianc compon comprehens concept concern condit congress connot consid consider consist consolid constitut contain content context continu contract contribut control convey cooper coordin cope corazon corpor correspond countri countrysid cover creation culmin cum d da dar datu debureaucrat decentr decid decis decision-mak declar deconcentr defin definit degovernment deleg deliveri democraci democrat denr depart depe deregul desir detail determin develop devolut devolv dichotomi differ dimens direct discharg discret discuss distribut divis document doh dot dotc dpwh dr dswd dual duti dynam e e.g earli ecolog econom effect effici effort elect electr element employe empow empower enabl enact end energi enforc enhanc enjoy ensur enter enterpris entiti entrust environ environment equal equiti essenc establish etc everi everyday evid evolut execut exercis exist explain express extens f facil familiar favor featur februari field filippin final financ financi fire fiscal follow food forc forestri form formul found four freedom fullest function functionari fund g gain galang general genuin geograph give given goal good govern government governor graduat grant greater greatest group guid h health healthi herebi hierarchi high hire histori hlurb hold hope hospit hous ident identifi ii iii implement impli import imposit improv includ incorpor increment independ individu influenc inform infrastructur iniat initi innov inspect instanc institut institution integr inter inter-government interest intergovernment intern introduc introduct invest involv irr issu iv ix j januari jose jurisdict k labor lack land last late law lay leadership least leeway legal legisl less level levi lgu lgu-ngo lgus life like limit local longer low lower ltfrb ltfrb-dotc m maguindanao main maintain major make manag manageri mandat manila manner manuel mario market marshal master matter may mean meaning measur mechan meet mercedita mere metropolitan mindanao miscellan modif morn movement municip name nation nation-build national-loc natur necessari need new ngas ngo ngos nolleda nolledo non non-government o object octob odin offic offici on-sit one oper opportun option order organ organiz otherwis page paid paramet parastat part particip particular partner passag peac peopl perform person personnel pgc philippin piec plan pnp point polic polici polit popul popular possess possibl poverti power pre pre-condit prescrib present preserv presid presidenti presuppos primari primer principl prioriti privat problem proceed process profit program project promis promot properti provid provinc provis ps public pure purpos pursuant qualif qualiti quarantin question ra rais rang rational real realiz reason recal reclassif refer referendum reform regim region regul regulatori relat relianc reliant remov repres repress republ requir requisit research resid resourc respect respons restrict result retain revenu roja root rule said salari salient saw school scope seal section sector see seek seen select self self-determin self-govern self-reli self-rul semi separ servant servic set set-up sever shall share shortcom sign signific similar simpli sinsuat site sixto skill smooth social socio socio-econom solut sometim sovereignti space spain spanish spearhead special specif spell spend standpoint state statement status statutori still strategi strengthen strict strong structur struggl su subdivis subject substanti success sue summari supervis support suspens system tabunda tamontaka tax taxat technic telecommun tendenc term territori test three titl took total touch tourism toward train transfer transform transitori translat triangl tricycl two type ultim under understand unit univers unlock upgrad urgenc us use util v vacanc variabl vast vi vi-evolut vii viii w waterwork welfar well wherebi whether whole wholli widest within work x xi xiii xiv xix xv xvi xvii xviii xx year