LGU

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

• Officially local government in the Philippines,
often called local government units or LGUs,

• LGUs, are divided into three levels

1. provinces and independent cities

2. component cities and municipalities

3. and barangays

• In one area, above provinces and independent

cities, is an autonomous region, - the
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao
Structure of Philippines local government units.
•  Below barangays in some cities and municipalities are 

sitios and puroks. 

• All of these, with the exception of sitios and puroks,

elect their own executives and legislatures.

• Sitios and puroks are often led by elected barangay

councilors.
According to the Constitution of the Philippines, the local governments "shall
enjoy local autonomy", and in which the Philippine president exercises
"general supervision". Congress enacted the 
Local Government Code of the Philippines in 1991 to...
"provide for a more responsive and accountable local government structure
instituted through a system of decentralization with effective mechanisms of 
recall, initiative, and referendum, allocate among the different local government
units their powers, responsibilities, and resources, and provide for the
qualifications, election, appointment and removal, term, salaries, powers and
functions and duties of local officials, and all other matters relating to the
organization and operation of local units."
OFFICES
• Local governments have two branches:

- EXECUTIVE and LEGISLATIVE.

• All courts in the Philippines are under the 

Supreme Court of the Philippines and therefore there are no
local-government controlled judicial branches.

• Nor do local governments have any prosecutors or 

public defenders, as those are under the jurisdiction of the
national government.
The executive branch is composed of the

• regional governor for the 

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

• governor for the provinces

• mayor for the cities and municipalities

• and the barangay captain for the barangays.

Legislatures
The legislatures review the ordinances and resolutions enacted by the legislatures below

• Regional Legislative Assembly - Autonomous region

• Sangguniang Panlalawigan- Province

• Sangguniang Panlungsod- City

• Sangguniang Bayan- Municipality

• Sangguniang Barangay & Sangguniang Kabataan -

Barangay
 Aside from regular and ex-officio members, the legislatures above the barangay level also have three 
sectoral representatives, one each from women, agricultural or industrial workers, and other sectors.
LEVELS OF LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
BARANGAY
• Every city and municipality in the Philippines is divided
into barangays

• the smallest of the Local Government Units

• Barangays can be further divided into sitios and puroks

-but those divisions do not have leaders elected in formal

elections supervised by the national government.
• A barangay's executive is the Punong Barangay or barangay
captain its legislature is the Sangguniang Barangay

• composed of barangay captain, the Barangay Kagawads

 (barangay councilors) and the SK chairman. The SK chairman
also leads a separate assembly for youth, the 
Sangguniang Kabataan or SK.
The officials that make up the council are the Punong Barangay,

seven Barangay Councilors, and the chairman of Youth Council or 

Sangguniang Kabataan (SK). Thus, there are eight (8) members of the 
Legislative Council in a barangay.

The Barangay Justice System or Katarungang Pambarangay is

composed of members commonly known as Lupon Tagapamayapa (
Justice of the peace).

Their function is to conciliate and mediate disputes at the Barangay

level to avoid legal action and relieve the courts of docket congestion
Elected officials
All elected officials have 3-year terms, and can only serve
a maximum of three consecutive terms before being
ineligible for reelection
Creation and modification of local governments

As a matter of principle, higher legislative entities have the power to create,

divide, merge, abolish, or substantially alter boundaries of any lower-level local
government through a law or ordinance, all subject to approval by a majority of
the votes cast in a plebiscite to be conducted by the Commission on Elections
 (COMELEC) in the local government unit or units directly affected
REQUISITES FOR CREATION:

Contiguous Territory with at least 2,000 inhabitants that is duly certified by the
NSO except for the cities of manila and other mertopolitan cities

Highly urbanized cities—population of 5,000

Territorial Jurisdiction will be identified by metes and bounds (not contiguous if it

comprises of 2 islands)

The governors/city mayors may prepare consolidation based on the criteria

stated above that will prepared and approved by the SB concern
 BUDGET PREPARATION

The punong barangay prepares the barangay badget for the coming calendar
year upon receipt of the detailed statement of income and expenditures from the
barangay treasurer on or before sept 15 of each year.

HOW THE BARANGAY BUDGET IS AUTHORIZED

• Step I - Present the Executive barangay

Budget to the Sangguniang Barangay.
• Step II - Deliberate on the Executive Budget
• Step III – Enact the General Appropriation
act (GAO)
• Step IV – Approved the GAO by the Punong
 CITIES AND
MUNICIPALITIE
S
Municipal government in the Philippines is divided into
three –

• independent cities

• component cities

• and municipalities (sometimes referred to as towns).

• Several cities across the country are "independent cities" which
means that they are not governed by a province,

•  Independent city residents do not vote for nor hold provincial

offices

• Far more cities are component cities and are a part of a

province. Municipalities are always a part of a province

• Cities and municipalities are governed by mayors and

legislatures, which are called the Sangguniang Panlungsod in
cities and the Sangguniang Bayan in municipalities.
LEGISLATURES
FLOW CHART IN LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL IN
Elected officials
All elected officials have 3-year terms, and can only serve
a maximum of three consecutive terms before being
ineligible for reelection
CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Creation and modification of local governments
BUDGET PREPARATION
INCOME CLASSIFICATION FOR CITIES
Based on Department of Finance Department
Order No.23-08

Class Average Annual Income

First P 55 M or more

Second P 45 M or more but less than P 55 M

Third P 35 M or more but less than P 45 M

Fourth P 25 M or more but less than P 35 M

Fifth P 15 M or more but less than P 25 M Sixth Below P 15 M

PROVINCE
Outside the lone autonomous region, the provinces are
the highest-level local government. The provinces are
organized into component cities and municipalities. A
province is governed by the governor and a legislature
known as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
LEGISLATURES
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan/Provincial Council, commonly known as the
Provincial Board name given to the legislatures in Philippine provinces.
Elected officials
All elected officials have 3-year terms, and can only serve
a maximum of three consecutive terms before being
ineligible for reelection
Creation and modification of local governments
AUTONOMOUS
REGIONS
• Autonomous regions have more powers than other local governments. The constitution
limits the creation of autonomous regions to Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras but only
one autonomous region exists: the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

• In 2001, a plebiscite in the ARMM confirmed the previous composition of the autonomous

region and added Basilan (except for the city of Isabela) and Marawi City in Lanao del Sur.
Isabela City remains a part of the province of Basilan despite rejecting inclusion in the
ARMM. A Cordillera Autonomous Region has never been formed because no plebiscite
 has received the required support.

• An autonomous region is governed by the regional governor and a legislature such as the 
ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly.
LEGISLATURES
Elected officials
All elected officials have 3-year terms, and can only serve
a maximum of three consecutive terms before being
ineligible for reelection
 OFFICES THAT ARE
COMMON TO
MUNICIPALITIES, CITIES AND
PROVINCES
There are 21 offices in a government, whether it is
municipal, city or provincial. There are some
mandatory and optional offices to the government.
RESPONSIBILITIE
S
Among the social services and facilities that local government should provide,
as stipulated in Section 17 of the Local Government Code, are the following:

•facilities and research services for agriculture and fishery activities, which
include seedling nurseries, demonstration farms, and irrigation systems;

•health services, which include access to primary health care, maternal and
child care, and medicines, medical supplies and equipment;

•social welfare services, which include programs and projects for women,
children, elderly, and persons with disabilities, as well as vagrants, beggars,
street children, juvenile delinquents, and victims of drug abuse;
•information services, which include job placement information systems and a

public library;

•a solid waste disposal system or environmental management system;

•municipal/city/provincial buildings, cultural centers, public parks, playgrounds,

and sports facilities and equipment;

•infrastructure facilities such as roads, bridges, school buildings, health

clinics, fish ports, water supply systems, seawalls, dikes, drainage and

sewerage, and traffic signals and road signs;

•public markets, slaughterhouses, and other local enterprises;

•public cemetery;

•tourism facilities and other tourist attractions; and

•sites for police and fire stations and substations and municipal jail.