DILG explains proposed P30-M 'decentralization budget'

Kabataan party-list representative Raoul Manuel on Thursday questioned the proposed P30 million budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for 'decentralization and constitutional reform.'

“This P30 million is for decentralization and constitutional reform. For decentralization to happen, kailangan po natin baguhin ang Constitution. Does this mean that Charter change is a priority of this administration?,” Manuel said during the deliberations on the DILG’s P262 billion budget for 2024 before the House appropriations panel.

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos and DILG Undersecretary Marlo Iringan, however, said the DILG won’t be using the said budget to push for Charter change but to assist LGUs in the implementation of the Mandanas ruling which grants more authority to LGUs to implement projects.

“The law [provided by the SC decision in 2018] has many flaws. For one, it says a barangay should be able to build a barangay road, but not all barangays can afford to do that. Secondly, it states every province should have tertiary hospitals, and not all provinces have resources for that,” Abalos said.

“Although the title [of the budget item] ay hindi angkop ng kaunti,  ito po (P30 million) ay parte ng pag-aaral namin at ng ibang attached agencies ng DILG para po rito [sa implementation ng Mandanas ruling],” Abalos added.

DILG Undersecretary Iringan backed Abalos, explicitly saying that DILG is not pursuing charter change.

“There is no push for constitutional reform. What we are focusing on right now is devolution in light of the Supreme Court ruling in 2018. This is part of the DILG’s efforts to capacitate LGUs to absorb functions and services as provided under Section 17 of the Local Government Code of 1991,” Iringan said.

“What we want is to provide capacity development intervention for our LGUs [to comply with the Mandanas ruling], as well as activities and studies for amendments of the Local Government Code since it has been 32 years and there has not been no amendment to the Code’s provision,” Iringan added.

Manuel, however, remains wary.

“The budget item [for the P30 million] is clear: decentralization and constitutional reform advocacy campaign. Constitutional reform means changes in the Constitution. The President said he wants to change the current form of government to federal reform of government, and that requires charter change,” Manuel said, referring to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s statement that the Marcos administration has taken the first step toward federalism by distributing power to the local government units. 

“I maintain my reservation because if we approve this budget item, we will be approving a budget for promoting charter change,” Manuel added.

Marcos, back in February, said that his administration is reviewing an executive order that aims to provide guidelines on the full devolution of certain functions of the executive branch to local government units.

He also emphasized the need to support local government units for the country's economic growth, adding that he is also eyeing to increase the role of LGUs in the planning process of the national government.

In May, the President said that he would he would come up with a new and “good” executive order about the implementation of the Mandanas ruling by the end of the year. —VAL, GMA Integrated News