By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
“Sa mga opisyal ng VMLP, ipagpatuloy ninyo ang diwa ng pagkakaisa, pagtutulungan, at malasakit sa bayan.”
Consistent with his firm stance on bolstering local governance, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. continues to champion integrity and discipline among local chief executives.
This, as the President administered the oath of office to the newly-elected National Officers of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) in a ceremony on Monday.
President Marcos Jr. began by acknowledging the various limitations in administrative, financial, and technical capacity that hinder local government units (LGUs) from providing unhampered public services to their constituents.
As such, he touts digitalization as the way towards enhancing the capabilities of LGUs to better respond to the challenges within their communities, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) leading the charge in this endeavor.
With further help from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), increased internet coverage, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), also complements the administration’s drive to facilitate better access and connectivity for Filipinos across the archipelago.
President Marcos Jr., meanwhile, shared some of the initiatives that the national government has undertaken to lend a hand to LGUs nationwide, “So let me highlight some of the initiatives that we have taken for LGUs. We have enacted the Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units Act. It institutionalizes the automatic income classification of LGUs.”
“We also launched the Electronic LGU System or eLGU to help LGUs digitalize frontline services. And this enables citizens to access permits, tax documents, civil registry records, business clearances. Lahat ito will be able to be done online. As of the end of December last year, over 942 LGUs have already become part of the eLGU system.”
In his speech, he also cited the recent launch of the “Sa Bagong Pilipinas, Bawat Bayan Makikinabang,” which expands the scope and coverage of the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF)—essentially a devolution of some of the functions of the national government down to the local level.
Some programs that are expected to benefit from this move include rural electrification, improved healthcare infrastructure, and rice distribution.
The Chief Executive concluded his remarks by reminding vice mayors that the true anchors of progress in their respective areas or regions of responsibility lie in the people that they serve, instructing them to embody the ideals of a true public servant through various programs that look after the welfare of their constituents.
Founded in 1988, the VMLP is a collective of all vice mayors from cities and municipalities across the country with the goal of ensuring effective local governance and consistency in leading their respective locales.
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