Hand in Hand Towards Amelioration

Hand in Hand Towards Amelioration

Andro V. Francisco

BSA-I

An Essay Paper Presented to

Mr. Clyde Ben Gacayan

In Partial Fulfilment of the Course Requirement

In Political Science 14

Hand in Hand Towards Amelioration

The Philippines is not a small country. In fact, it is a medium-sized country in terms of geography. And with its geography mainly being fragmental or composed of island groups, there are many ethnic groups in the country. Settling all of these aside, the country since its independence has been experiencing a huge amount of growth on its demographics. Naturally it becomes vincible for the national government to monitor its actions down on the different parts of the country, and mentioning that the mobility of the the government has been paralyzed due to ill-equipped infrastructures and communications. Anyhow, as many roads and bridges were built to connect town to town, the rivers still flow.

The Roles of LGU

The local government unit plays a very crucial role. At its inception, administrative divisions of the country were autonomous, from provinces to cities and from towns to barrios. The constitution guarantees that these units “shall enjoy local autonomy.” This means that a certain town can enjoy implementing its own laws and regulations in accordance to the needs of its  people through their local officials. These local officials do not only include the elected officials but also those who are appointed or qualified for a certain office (e.g. Municipal Engineer, Municipal Treasurer, etc.)

Being near the locality and with the needs of their constituents at their doorsteps, LGUs are vital in the development of their areas. First and foremost, a localized government can mean a group of people with common and shared perceptions because those that comprise such government are from the local place or at least near there. Secondly, a local government can strictly monitor the effectiveness of the laws of the country and ordinances promulgated locally. Lastly, a local government can be a training ground for those who want to seek for higher positions especially in the national government. With local autonomy enjoyed by the people, it is therefore fitting to say that the LGUs role is very much important as it is appreciated by the citizens of this country.

Roles of PDAF

Being appropriated to local congressmen representatives, so that it may be spent wisely on local projects and to help in the decentralization of the projects of the national government, the priority development assistance fund is a very important tool for local projects to crop out and be of use to the people in their districts.

The needs of the country are endless, especially in terms of the average person’s life and his actions to put an end to his strife. Local representatives have the privelege to be middlemen of the national government down to the people. That is to say that the quality of life in the poorest areas of our country can be uplifted, if not terminated, by these funds as they are equally distributed to each representatives. Moreover, such funds to be appropriated at their own discretion can somehow pave the way for bigger projects especially if the handler of the fund will be a reliable individual.

A Principle of Coexistence

        With local autonomy as the main purpose of the local government unit, the question of how to fill the local treasury takes its place into picture. An average local government cannot stand on its own, it still needs budget allocation from the national government. Despite the fact that it does earn from the taxes of local industries, it is still not enough to suffice the expenses that it makes. And here comes PDAF, a yearly budget allocation from the national government to the respective representatives of districts and partylists, with which they will release at their own disposal. It seems logical to say that PDAF is an addition to the budget alloted to a certain LGU, only that it is given through a representative not directly to the local government.