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]
LEVELS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Autonomous Regions
Provinces
Cities and municipalities
Barangays
Autonomous Regions
• governed by the regional governor and a
legislature such as the ARMM Regional
Legislative Assembly.
Provinces
• organized into component cities
and municipalities
• 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.
Barangays
• 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 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:
1. executive and
2. 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 e
nacted 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]
 Local
governmen Legislature Composition[2] Head
t
Regional
Autonomou  24 members:
Legislative Assembly speaker
s region  Sectoral representatives
Assembly
 President of the provincial
chapter of the Liga ng mga
Barangay
 President of the provincial
Sangguniang chapter of the League of
Province Vice governor
Panlalawigan Councilors
 President of the provincial
federation of the Sangguniang
Kabataan
 Sectoral representatives
  varies, as of 2007:[4]
 Manila: 36 councilors, 6 elected from each district
 Davao City: 24 councilors, 8 elected from each
district
 Quezon City: 36 councilors, 6 elected from each
district
 Antipolo, Cagayan de Oro,[5] Cebu
City, Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Zamboanga
City, Taguig City: 16 councilors, 8 elected from each
district
 Rest of Metro Manila, Calbayog, San Jose del
Sangguniang Vice
City Monte: 12 councilors, 6 elected from each district
Panlungsod mayor
 Samal, Sorsogon City: 12 councilors, 4 elected from
each district
 Baguio, General Santos, Iloilo City, San Fernando
(La Union), Tuguegarao: 12 councilors, elected at-
large
 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
  varies:
 Pateros, Metro Manila: 12
councilors, 6 elected from each
district
 All other municipalities: 8
Munici Sangguniang
councilors, elected at-large Vice mayor
pality Bayan
 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
Sanggunia
Barang
ng
ay Sangguniang
 7 members elected at-large Kabataan
Kabataan
chairperso
n
Elected officials
All elected officials have 3-year terms, and can only serve a maximum of three
consecutive terms before being ineligible for reelection.[6]

Minimum age (18 is

LGU Official
the voting age[7])
35 years old on election
Regional governor
day[8]
Autonomous Same as regional
Regional vice governor
region governor
Regional legislative assembly 21 years old on election
member day[8]
Governor 23 years old on election day[6]

Provinces Vice governor Same as governor

Sangguniang Panlalawigan
Same as governor
member
 Mayor Same as governor

Highly urbanized cities Vice mayor Same as governor

Sangguniang Panlungsod member

Same as governor
(Councilor)

Mayor 21 years old on election day

Same as independent
Independent Vice mayor component and component
component and city mayor[6]
component cities

Same as independent
Sangguniang Panlungsod member
component and component
(Councilor)
city mayor
 Same as independent
Mayor component and component city
mayor

Municipalities
Same as independent
Vice mayor component and component city
mayor
Same as independent
Sangguniang Bayan member
component and component city
(Councilor)
mayor
Barangay captain 18 years old on election day
Barangay kagawad Same as barangay captain
Sangguniang Kabataan 15 to 21 years old on election
Barangay
chairperson day*
Same as Sangguniang Kabataan
Sangguniang Kabataan member
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]

 Municipal
Office Head City Province
ity
Secretary to the
Office of the Secretary to the Sanggunian √ √ √
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
(Office of) Social Welfare and Development Social Welfare and
√ √ √
Office Development Officer
(Office of) Environment and Natural Resources Environment and Natural
? ? ?
Office Resources Officer
Office of Architectural Planning and Design Architect ? ? ?
Office of Public Information Information Officer ? ? ?
Office for the Development of
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]
 Legislative bodies that
can create, merge,
Local
Area Population Income abolish or
government
substantially alter the
boundaries of the LGU
P20 million for the
last two (2)
2,000 square
Province 250,000* consecutive years  Congress^
kilometers*
based on 1991
constant prices
P100 million for the
last two (2)
100 square
City 150,000* consecutive years  Congress^
kilometers*
based on 2000
constant prices[10]
P2.5 million for the
last two (2)  Congress
50 square
Municipality 25,000 consecutive years  ARMM Regional
kilometers
based on 1991 Assembly
constant prices
 Congress
 ARMM Regional
Assembly