Local government in the Philippines

Local government hierarchy in the Philippines. The dashed lines emanating from the president means that the president only exercises general supervision on
local government.

Map of the Philippines showing provinces

Officially local government in the Philippines, often called local government units or LGUs, are divided into three levels
– provinces and independent cities; component cities and municipalities; and barangays. In one area, above provinces and independent cities, is
an autonomous region, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. 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.
Provinces and independent cities are organized into national government regions but those are administrative regions and not separately
governed areas with their own elected governments.
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." [1]

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.

Provinces
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.

Cities and municipalities

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, even though like Iloilo
City the provincial capitol might be in the city. 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 except for Pateros which was separated
from Rizal to form Metro Manila.
Cities and municipalities are governed by mayors and legislatures, which are called the Sangguniang Panlungsod in cities and the Sangguniang
Bayan in municipalities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_Philippines
Barangays
Every city and municipality in the Philippines is divided into barangays, the smallest of the Local Government Units. Barangays can be further
divided into sitiosand 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 and 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.

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. [2]

Legislatures
The legislatures review the ordinances and resolutions enacted by the legislatures below. 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.[2]

Level of
Legislature Composition[2] Head
government

 total of 24 members:[3]
Regional o Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao (excluding Cotabato City), Sulu: 6 each, 3 elected
Autonomous Assembly
Legislative from each assembly district
region speaker
Assembly[a] o Basilan (except Isabela City), Tawi-Tawi: 3 each, elected at-large
 Sectoral representatives
 varies, as of 2019:[3]
o Cavite: 16 SP members, 2 elected from each district
o Cebu: 14 SP members, 2 elected from each district
o Batangas, Isabela,[c] Negros Occidental and Pangasinan:[d] 12 SP members,
2 elected from each district
o All other provinces of the first and second income classes:[e] 10 SP members,
Sangguniang with seat distribution among districts varying.[f]
Province Vice governor
Panlalawigan[b] o Provinces of the third and fourth income classes:[g] 8 SP members, with seat
distribution among districts varying.[f]
o Provinces of the fifth and sixth income classes: 6 SP members, 3 per district
 President of the provincial chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay
 President of the provincial chapter of the League of Councilors
 President of the provincial federation of the Sangguniang Kabataan
 Sectoral representatives
 varies, as of 2019:[3]
o Manila and Quezon City: 36 councilors, 6 elected from each district
o Davao City: 24 councilors, 8 elected from each district
o Antipolo, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu
City, Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Taguig, Zamboanga City: 16
councilors, 8 elected from each district
o Bacoor, Calbayog, San Jose del Monte, and all other cities in Metro Manila:
Sangguniang 12 councilors, 6 elected from each district
City Vice mayor
Panlungsod[h] o Samal, Sorsogon City: 12 councilors, 4 elected from each district
o Bacolod, Baguio, Batangas City, Biñan, Calamba, Dasmariñas, General
Santos, Iligan, Iloilo City, Imus, Lapu-Lapu, Lipa, San Fernando (La
Union), Tuguegarao: 12 councilors, elected at-large
o All other cities: 10 councilors, elected at-large
 President of the city chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay
 President of the city federation of the Sangguniang Kabataan
 Sectoral representatives

Sangguniang  varies, as of 2016:[3]

Municipality o Pateros, Metro Manila: 12 councilors, 6 elected from each district Vice mayor
Bayan
o All other municipalities: 8 councilors, elected at-large

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 President of the municipal chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay
 President of the municipal federation of the Sangguniang Kabataan
 Sectoral representatives
Sangguniang  7 members elected at-large Barangay
Barangay  Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson captain
Barangay
Sangguniang Sangguniang
Kabataan  7 members elected at-large Kabataan
chairperson

1. ^ The boundaries of ARMM assembly districts are coterminous with the existing congressional districts, except for the 1st
Assembly District of Maguindanao (which excludes Cotabato City and the Lone Assembly District of Basilan (which
excludes Isabela City).
2. ^ Provinces that comprise a single congressional district are divided into two SP districts. For provinces comprising
multiple congressional districts, boundaries of SP and congressional districts are coterminous, with the exception of the following:
• Independent cities which are not allowed by law to participate in electing provincial officials are excluded from SP districts.
• The cities of Biñan and San Jose del Monte, despite forming their separate congressional districts, remain part of the 1st SP
district of Laguna and the 4th SP district of Bulacan.
3. ^ Santiago City is excluded from the 4th SP district of Isabela.
4. ^ Dagupan is excluded from the 4th SP district of Pangasinan.
5. ^ Independent cities excluded from provincial elections: 
• Naga from Camarines Sur—3rd
• Tacloban from Leyte—1st
• Ormoc from Leyte—4th
• Cotabato City from Maguindanao—1st
• Puerto Princesa from Palawan—3rd
• Angeles from Pampanga—1st
• General Santos from South Cotabato—1st.
6. ^ Jump up to:a b The manner of seat distribution varies, per Republic Act No. 7166:[4]
• For provinces comprising multiple congressional districts and need no boundary adjustments due to independent cities being
excluded: each district receives the same number of members first, then any remainder will get assigned to the districts with
higher population counts.
• For provinces comprising multiple congressional districts but have district boundary adjustments: seats are distributed according
to the population size of each SP district after factoring out the independent cities.
• For provinces comprising a single congressional district: seats are usually distributed equally between the two SP districts
drawn by COMELEC, although proportional allocation exists in cases where geography and circumstance have resulted in
grossly uneven SP district population distributions (e.g. Benguet's and Sarangani's SP districts).
7. ^ Butuan is excluded from the 1st SP district of Agusan del Norte.
8. ^ The number of city council members and districts varies per city, as determined by different statutes. For cities comprising
multiple congressional districts, boundaries of city council districts are coterminous with congressional districts, with the exception
of the Legislative district of Taguig-Pateros which encompasses the 2nd SP district of Taguig and the 1st and 2nd SB districts of
Pateros. By law, some cities that are not divided into multiple congressional districts are specifically divided into two
(Bacoor, Calbayog, Las Piñas, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, San Jose del
Monte, Valenzuela) or three (Samal, Sorsogon City) city council districts.

Elected officials
All elected officials have 3-year terms, and can only serve a maximum of three consecutive terms before being ineligible for reelection. [5]

LGU Official Minimum age (18 is the voting age[6])

Regional governor 35 years old on election day[7]

Autonomous region Regional vice governor Same as regional governor

Regional legislative assembly member 21 years old on election day[7]

Provinces Governor 23 years old on election day[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_Philippines
Vice governor Same as governor

Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Same as governor

Mayor Same as governor

Vice mayor Same as governor

Highly urbanized cities

Sangguniang Panlungsod member

Same as governor
(Councilor)

Mayor 21 years old on election day

Same as independent component and component city

Independent component and component Vice mayor
mayor[5]
cities

Sangguniang Panlungsod member Same as independent component and component city

(Councilor) mayor

Same as independent component and component city

Mayor
mayor

Same as independent component and component city

Municipalities Vice mayor
mayor

Same as independent component and component city

Sangguniang Bayan member (Councilor)
mayor

Punong Barangay 18 years old on election day

Barangay kagawad Same as Punong Barangay

Barangay

Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson 15 to 21 years old on election day*

Sangguniang Kabataan member Same as Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson*

*a Sangguniang Kabataan official who has surpassed 21 years of age while in office is allowed to serve for the rest of the term. [2]

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.

Office Head Municipality City Province

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_Philippines
Office of the Secretary to the Sanggunian Secretary to the Sanggunian √ √ √

Treasurer's Office Treasurer √ √ √

Assessor's Office Assessor √ √ √

Accounting Office Accountant √ √ √

Budget Office Budget Officer √ √ √

Planning and Development

Planning and Development Office √ √ √
Coordinator

Engineer's Office Engineer √ √ √

Health Office Health Officer √ √ √

Office of the Civil Registry Civil Registrar √ √ X

Office of the Administrator Administrator √ √ √

Office of the Legal Services Legal Officer ? √ √

Office of Agricultural Services/Office of the Agriculturist Agriculturist ? ? √

Social Welfare and Development

(Office of) Social Welfare and Development Office √ √ √
Officer

Environment and Natural Resources

(Office of) Environment and Natural Resources Office ? ? ?
Officer

Office of Architectural Planning and Design Architect ? ? ?

Office of Public Information Information Officer ? ? ?

Office for the Development of Cooperatives/Cooperatives

Cooperatives Officer X ? ?
Development Office

Population Office Population Officer ? ? ?

Veterinary Office/Office of Veterinary Services Veterinarian X √ √

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_Philippines
(Office of) Public Safety Office Public Safety Officer ? ? ?

(Office of) General Services Office General Services Officer X √ √

Legend:
√ - Mandatory
? - Optional
X - Not Applicable
Source: Local Government Code of 1991[8]

Responsibilities
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.

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. [2] The Local Government Code has also set
requisites for creating local government units.[2] A summary can be found in the table below:

Legislative bodies that can create, merge,

Local
Area Population Income abolish or substantially alter the boundaries of
government
the LGU

₱20 million for the last two (2)

2,000 square
Province 250,000* consecutive years based on  Congress^
kilometers*
1991 constant prices

₱100 million for the last two (2)

100 square
City 150,000* consecutive years based on  Congress^
kilometers*
2000 constant prices[9]

₱2.5 million for the last two (2)

50 square  Congress
Municipality 25,000 consecutive years based on
kilometers  ARMM Regional Assembly
1991 constant prices

Barangay None 5,000 (Metro None  Congress

Manila and highly  ARMM Regional Assembly
urbanized cities)  Sangguniang Panlalawigan, with

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_Philippines
2,000 (rest of the recommendation from the concerned
country) Sangguniang Bayan(s) required
 Sangguniang Panlungsod

*either area or population; meeting only one of these requirements is sufficient

^The ARMM Regional Assembly was conferred by Congress (through Article VI, Section 19 of Republic Act 9054 [7]) the power to create or modify
lower-level LGUs under its jurisdiction, including provinces and cities. However, the Supreme Court's decision on the unconstitutionality of the
now-defunct province of Shariff Kabunsuan[10] has effectively confined the regional assembly's powers to creating or modifying only municipalities
and barangays.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_Philippines