MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has instructed national government agencies (NGAs) to conduct an analysis on the operationalization of the full devolution initiative and come up with a list of functions that should be devolved to the local government units (LGUs).
He made the instruction in a meeting held at the Malacañang last week.
During the meeting, Marcos cited the need to define and determine the priority functions and services that should be devolved to the LGUs.
The funding and schedule of implementation of the functions and services, which will be based on LGU capacity and by minimum standards set by NGAs, shall be determined after coming up with the definition and after determining the functions and services of the LGUs.
He also ordered the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to conduct a sensitivity analysis to determine what the government can gain from its investments.
NEDA will also recommend ways to better implement a phased-in devolution, including its timeline ba
sed on LGU capacity, which is in addition to the ongoing study on the determinants of functions and services that should performed by the national government and devolved to LGUs.
Marcos also ordered the NEDA to complete the study and submit it to the Office of the President by the end of February 2024.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in collaboration with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, was also instructed to come up with a list of functions and services that the LGUs should be performing based on their Devolution Transition Plans.
The DILG is given until January 2024 to present the list to the President.
Source: Philippines News Agency
