Lesson 1-Introduction To Local Government

PS ELECT 1: LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES
MODULE 1:
THE MEANING AND NATURE OF GEOGRAPHY
In local government, it's very clear to your customers - your citizens - whether or not you're
delivering. Either that pothole gets filled in, or it doesn't. The results are very much on display,
and that creates a very healthy pressure to innovate.
- Pete Buttigieg
Module Learning Objectives:
At the end of the module, the students are expected to:
a. understand the rationale for the Local Governments’ existence;
b. identify the characteristics of a local government; and
c. explain the role of local governments in promoting good governance.
TOPICS
1. Rationale for the Local Governments’ Existence
2. Nature of Local Governments
Local Government
- the administration of a particular town, county, or district, with representatives elected by those
who live there. (Oxford Dictionary)
- the government of a specific local area constituting a subdivision of a major political unit
such as a nation or state. (Merriam-Webster)
- Golding: Local government is the management of their own affairs by the people of their
locality.
- Sorka: Local government connotes the decentralization or dispersion of authoritative decision
making where by the authority to make decision is displaced downwards from
remote points near the top administration or outward from geographical locations,
thus brining authority closer to the people affected by it.
- Thapa: Local government is door step government to the local people and is responsible
towards the local people.
GENERALLY, local governments are legal authorities constituted by laws providing services,
with the rights and necessary organization to regulate their own affairs.
I. Rationale for the Local Governments’ Existence”
Local governments are established or organized consistent with the principles of

decentralization. Consequently, they came to exist for the ff. reasons:
 Local officials know best the needs and interests of local population. Local
ordinances and policies can crystallize the interests of the constituents as a direct
response to a specific area of concern in which the national government may not
immediately address as they have a broader concern;
 Local governments come to exist as administrative convenience to the State creating
them. Delegated administrative functions to field offices makes them more accountable
to the people and at the same time promoting better and effective delivery of social and
welfare services;
 Local governments are effective partners of the central and national government.
The closer the people to the government, the better the governance would become
especially in harnessing not only community development and growth but also national
development and growth;
 Local governments boost the civil morale of the population. With the presence of
Local Government Units, the people can directly participate in the political affairs and
processes towards more efficient local governance at the grassroots level; and
 Local governments provide a clear understanding of the relationship between the
desired project objectives and resources available to implement them. In the process
of mobilizing local resources they also promote participation of the people.
III: Nature of Local Governments

Local governments represent vital constituent parts of the nation’s politico-administrative
system and play an important part in the administration of public services.
Characteristics of Local Government:
1. Local governments are defined territorial boundaries with political and administrative
jurisdictions;
2. Local governments are non-sovereign communities with subordinate status,
governments which are below the national government;
3. Local governments have authority and power to undertake public activities;
4. Local governments are continuing organizations with population of more or less
numerous; and
5. Local governments are municipal corporations.
 Local governments in the Philippines are territorial subdivisions of the state which are the
provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays.
 A distinct provision of the law provides for the creation of regional governments namely:
Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM).
 On the other hand, the MMDA as a metro-wide system of governance has been accepted
to address the problems of rapid urbanization, which cannot be solved independently by a
local unit.
In general, the functions of local governments may be gleaned from the following features
they generally assume:
a. Local governments provide greater political participation from the people at lower
level communities;
b. Local units impart socioeconomic services for the constituency consistent with national
government policies; and
c. Local governments offer a means of dividing power, responsibilities and functions by
geographic area or locality of the state.

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PS ELECT 1: LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

I. Rationale for the Local Governments’ Existence”

Local governments are established or organized consistent with the principles of

III: Nature of Local Governments

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