Former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. (Abalos Team)

Former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. has stressed the need to amend the Local Government Code of 1991, which he says no longer meets the needs of local governments today.

Embodied in Republic Act (RA) No. 7160, the 33-year-old law provided the framework for how local government units (LGUs) should operate in the country.

But since the law's enactment in 1991, Abalos says the Philippines has “found a lot of problems that need to be fixed". This requires amendments to the law.

"The world has changed. The way we govern has changed. Our laws need to keep up," the senatorial aspirant said in a statement.

Abalos says updating the Local Government Code is crucial in ensuring that LGUs are able to meet the needs of their people.

Under the existing code, he said many barangays and smaller municipalities often struggle to fund essential infrastructure projects because of the financial constraints delegated to them.

“The same goes for schools—LGUs are supposed to handle their construction, but smaller and low-income LGUs simply can’t fund it," he added.

Abalos underscored that RA No. 7160 was enacted long before the internet became vital to daily life and governance.

He said revisions to the law should include provisions that empower local governments to harness technology in delivering public services more efficiently.

As a former DILG secretary, Abalos said he commissioned a study with the help of the Local Government Academy (LGA) and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) to review the Local Government Code.

He said their findings had been submitted to President Marcos before he resigned to run for senator under the administration’s “Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas” slate.

If elected to the Senate next year, Abalos said he will push for these recommendations to be passed into law.

Among the key features he will seek is to allow the national government to handle “certain areas” instead of being left to LGUs.

He specifically cited the need for the national government to handle the agriculture sector and health services, as well as the establishment of modern facilities in poorer provinces.

“The national government needs to step in and provide support for these areas,” he noted.