City mayors push reforms on governance, IRA sharing

MANILA, Philippines - The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), which unites 120 cities, will pursue its campaign for tax reform to increase the cities’ share of internal revenue allotment (IRA), foster balanced economic growth and promote environmental protection. Under Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos Jr., who is also president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), LCP concluded the 2nd Philippine National Convention of Philippine Cities at the EDSA-Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City and also committed itself to achieve the goals of the UN Millennium Development Goals (LDGs). No less than 800 city officials attended the convention and discussed various problems facing local governance, discussed various options to resolve them, strengthened existing alliances and forged new partnerships. The other issues tackled during the three-day convention were management of fiscal resources, harnessing of human capital and MDG goals on maternal health, preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, accessing affordable housing, reformulating the IRA, revisiting the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act, improving public transportation, addressing climate change, facing the challenge of migration, providing proper sanitation, tapping energy efficiency options, and streamlining of business permit registration systems. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Vice President Noli De Castro also graced the occasion as keynote speakers. Recently, LCP clinched a judicial victory when the Supreme Court ruled in its favor and declared the laws creating 16 new cities as unconstitutional. Abalos said LCP is drafting proposed amendments to the Local Government Code (LGC), especially the reformulation of IRA and local taxation. Cities also took a position on Executive Order 712, focusing on the mandate of the Department of Transportation and Communication to review existing LGU issuances related to public transport, he added. On capacity-building on policy development and advocacy, Abalos said LCP is working closely with support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. It has been active in localizing MDGs through its Family-based Actions for Children and their Environs in the Slums (FACES) project, together with the UNDP, DILG, Local Government Academy, UN-Habitat, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). A project on reproductive health and commodity security is also being implemented in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF). LCP inked a grant with the World Bank (WB) for the strategic review of the City Development Strategies project, documentation of Marikina City’s Shelter Program and preparation of the State of Philippine Cities Report. Technical assistance on ecotourism, local economic development, land use and watershed management and public private partnership are being provided to select cities by the FCM through LCP, Abalos said. With the support of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center, National Competitiveness Council, the Asia Foundation, the DILG and DTI, LCP encourages cities to be more competitive and to develop a strong local economy by creating business-friendly environment through streamlined business processes. It has joined the DILG in mainstreaming local environmental planning and management in cities since LCP is committed to the urban greening program. LCP has been conducting island cluster caravans all over the country and concluded such caravans in Mindanao, Bicol and Negros Island, Abalos added. Supporting LCP in these missions are the Indian Chamber of Commerce, which provides free eyeglasses, One World Institute for free wheelchairs, Unilab for free medicines and vitamins, Adarna Books for storybooks for day care centers, and the Ciara Marie Abalos Foundation for scholarship grants and educational materials for children. These accomplishments, Abalos stressed, define the very essence of LCP as a “Brotherhood of Leaders, with One Vision, with One Mission, in One Nation." - GMANews.TV