Philippine Politics and Governance Lesson 14 - Local Autonomy and Decentralization PDF

PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Concept and Extent of Local Autonomy  Local governance is addressed in the Constitution des...

PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Concept and Extent of Local Autonomy  Local governance is addressed in the Constitution designated in Article X, which explains how the national government deals and treats territorial local governments that compose the Philippines  the Congress enacted Republic Act No. 7610, otherwise known as the Local Government Code, which defines the relationship between the national government and the local government units PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Concept and Extent of Local Autonomy  Local governments include the provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays, and the autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras  they can develop their sources of revenue to cover expenses for the benefit of their constituents  they are also given a considerable share from the national budget and from utilizing the natural resources that can be found within their given territories PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Forms of Decentralization  Autonomy refers to the granting and delegation of certain powers and functions by the national government to the local government units  it pertains to decentralization, which has two forms: (1) decentralization of power and (2) decentralization of administration PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Decentralization of Power  Decentralization of Power pertains to the turning over of political power by the national government to the local government units  it involves little intervention from the central government  for example, The Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera Autonomous Region enjoys this decentralization PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Decentralization of Power  Right to Self-Determination gives indigenous peoples the right to govern their communities, resolve their differences based on their culture and traditions, and protect the natural resources within their territories  it is described in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the right to determine and shape their own future, destiny, and development for the members of their communities PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Decentralization of Administration  Decentralization of Administration occurs when the national government delegates certain administrative powers needed to help the local government units become more self-reliant communities  it is done to allow the central government to focus on matters affecting the country’s entirety PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Categories of Decentralization  the concept of decentralization may be categorized into four types: PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Categories of Decentralization 1) Political decentralization occurs when the national government confers powers and resources to local government units  it aims to make local government units more self-reliant, particularly in addressing the specific needs of their constituents PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Categories of Decentralization 2) Administrative decentralization involves the transfer of functions of national government agencies to local counterparts  it ensures that the local authorities swiftly and adequately address the needs and concerns of the localities and deliver public services PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Categories of Decentralization 3) Fiscal decentralization pertains to the power of local government units to develop their own sources of revenue to help cover the local government’s expenses and priorities as part of addressing the needs of their localities  these sources of revenue are in addition to the local government unit’s internal revenue allotment from the national government PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE Lesson 14: What is Local Autonomy and Decentralization? Categories of Decentralization 4) Policy decentralization involves the power of local government units to decide about a particular policy issue  It is evident in the authority of local government units to create ordinances that are in line with the national laws and policies