#MINDANAO

The coming May elections for local chief executives are going to be an important one. This is because we will choose leaders who will oversee more resources as a result of the Garcia-Mandanas ruling of the Supreme Court in 2018.

Based on the primer prepared by the Department of Budget and Management, the Garcia-Mandanas Ruling is the result of two special civil actions filed by two governors against the Executive Department in 2012. In sum, the ruling clarifies that the revenue share of local governments should cover all taxes, not just internal revenue shares in Section 284 of the Local Government Code or RA7160. In short, this means that local governments will be receiving a larger share of taxes. Executive Order 138 series of 2021 under the Duterte administration mandates full devolution of many functions.

How these substantial resources and functions will be spent will depend in great part on the leaders we choose and how well we in the private sector can positively engage our LGUs. That said, some LGUs are better than others in making key budget decisions and providing funding for important devolved functions.  Knowing this, two of the success elements is the presence of strong commitment to governance and public-private partnerships among stakeholders. This is especially vital in areas such as Mindanao, where the LGU is the palpable government that people can feel and respond to.

First off, it will be useful for all local residents in the country to better understand some of the  functions that RA 7160 devolves from the national to the local governments. These, among others in Section 17 of the said law include tourism and agriculture. It thus mandates the creation of positions and offices such as the city, municipal tourism officers and agriculturists. Moreover, each LGU is required to have local tourism councils to help advise and formulate policies for the LGUs. Constructive private sector engagement through these mandated boards is therefore vital to ensure that policies and programs are responsive and cooperation between the governors and governed are achieved to properly execute such programs.

These elements reveal that some LGUs are better than others in providing the devolved services. Davao City is an example. With a population as large and diverse, it has satellite offices of the City Agriculturist providing vital knowledge and seeds to many small farms. The City Tourism Office is also aggressive in promoting the city’s varied destinations and the Meetings, Incentives Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism strategy in the early 2010s is a product of strong collaboration that brought in the tourists. 

Over the years, city and private sector entities such as the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and the Davao Tourism Association have a strong relationship with the LGU that enables such partnerships. In recent years, we have seen how collaboration between local governments and the private sector helped us during the pandemic and times of natural disasters and conflict.

Over the next months we will see how the impact of US government tariffs will affect us and our local economies.  The local government code and EO 138 will require strong partnerships between local governments and the private sector that will be needed to face these new challenges and build resilient local economies and stable, sustainable  communities where the next generation can be nurtured. With this, the elections will be crucial to elect the leaders that will lead us into the future. Let us pray for orderly and peaceful elections.