CONGRESS has allocated more funds to help local government units (LGUs) implement their respective projects, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said on Thursday.
The 2024 budget “contains provisions for the effective implementation of the Mandanas ruling, ensuring that local governments have the resources at the local level,” Mr. Romualdez told local and national officials in a forum.
Under the ratified bicameral report of next year’s budget, allocations for LGUs amount to P69.38 billion, 4.33% higher than its funding under the House of Representatives’ version of the budget bill, or P66.44 billion.
The funding is mainly for infrastructure projects, education, healthcare, agriculture, and enterprise development projects of the LGUs, he said.
The Speaker said budgets for LGUs will “bring about balanced development, propagating progress not just in urban areas but across the archipelago, so that every Filipino, from the northernmost provinces to the southernmost islands, can thrive with peace and abundance.”
Last October, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed into law Republic Act No. No. 11964, the Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units Act, which seeks to institutionalize the income classification of provinces, cities, and municipalities.
Classifying incomes of LGUs will help determine the assistance provided to them, including administrative and statutory aid, grants, as well as other forms of support.
The classification would also help assess an LGU’s capacity to take in development programs and projects, adjustments to staff compensation, and annual supplemental appropriations.
Mr. Romualdez called on local officials to “continue working together, [and] inspiring each other to build a Philippine economy that is stronger and more inclusive.” — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
