Amunicipality(Tagalog:bayan / munisipalidad / munisipyo / puweblo;Hiligaynon:banwa;Cebuano:lungsod;Pangasinan:baley;Kapampangan:balen / balayan;Central Bikol:banwaan;Waray:bungto;Ilocano:ili) is alocal government unit(LGU) in thePhilippines.It is distinct fromcity,which is a different category of local government unit.Provinces of the Philippinesare divided intocitiesand municipalities, which in turn, are divided intobarangays(formerlybarrios) –villages.As of June 30, 2024[update],there are 1,493 municipalities across the country.[1]
| Municipalities of the Philippines | |
|---|---|
 Municipalities of the Philippines in white | |
| Category | Town(Local government unit) |
| Location | Philippines |
| Number | 1,493 (as of June 30, 2024) |
| Possible status |
|
| Populations | Smallest: 193 (Kalayaan) Largest: 443,954 (Rodriguez) |
| Areas | Smallest: 1.66 km2(0.64 sq mi) (Pateros) Largest: 2,188.8 km2(845.1 sq mi) (Sablayan) |
| Subdivisions | |
A municipality is the official term for, and the official local equivalent of, atown,[2]the latter being itsarchaicterm and in all of its literal local translations includingFilipino.[3][4][5][6][7]Both terms are interchangeable.
Amunicipal districtis a now-defunct local government unit; previously certain areas were created first as municipal districts before they were converted into municipalities.
History
editThe era of the formation of municipalities in the Philippines started during theSpanish rule,in which the colonial government founded hundreds of towns and villages across the archipelago modeled after towns and villages inSpain.They were then grouped together along with a centralized town center calledcabeceraorpoblacionwhere theayuntamiento,or town hall, was located; the poblacion served as the nucleus of each municipality. Only the communities that were permanently settled under thereduccionsystem,[8]and have fully Christianized, are allowed to form municipalities, while others that have not yet been fully converted are to be subdued until conditions permitted for them to be incorporated as municipalities.[9]As time passed, municipalities were created out of already existing ones, leading to them becoming smaller in area over time.[10]Each municipality was governed by acapitan,usually a member of nativeprincipaliaof the town, who have the task of remitting revenues to the central government inManila.[11]Ever since its inception to the present day, the term "municipality" holds the same definition as "town" when the first towns grew in size under the Spanishpueblosystem (pueblomeaning "town" in Spanish language) to be granted municipal charters, hence the current official term for such type ofsettlements.[2][12]
During theAmerican administration,the municipal system put in place by the preceding Spanish authorities was preserved and at the same time reformed with greater inclusiveness among all Filipinos.[13]Municipal districts, which were in essence unincorporated areas presided over by local tribal chiefs set up by American authorities, were created for the first time in 1914.[14]More municipalities were created during this time, especially in Mindanao where there was a massive influx of settlers from the Luzon and the Visayas.[15]After a while the independent Republic of the Philippines was declared in 1946, all municipal districts were dissolved and were absorbed into or broken into municipalities.[16]The latest guidelines in the creation of new municipalities were introduced in 1991 with the issuance of the Local Government Code.[17]
Responsibilities and powers
editMunicipalities have some autonomy from the National Government of the Republic of the Philippines under theLocal Government Codeof 1991.They have been granted corporate personality enabling them to enact local policies and laws, enforce them, and govern their jurisdictions. They can enter into contracts and other transactions through their elected and appointed officials and can tax. They are tasked with enforcing all laws, whether local or national. The National Government assists and supervises the local government to make sure that they do not violate national law. Local Governments have their own executive and legislative branches and the checks and balances between these two major branches, along with their separation, are more pronounced than that of the national government.[18]The Judicial Branch of the Republic of the Philippines also caters to the needs of local government units. Local governments, such as a municipalities, do not have their own judicial branch: their judiciary is the same as that of the national government.
Organization
editAccording to Chapter II, Title II, Book III ofRepublic Act 7160or theLocal Government Code of 1991,[18]a municipality shall mainly have amayor(alkalde), avice mayor(ikalawang alkalde / bise alkalde) and members (kagawad) of the legislative branchSangguniang Bayanalongside a secretary to the said legislature.
The following positions are also required for all municipalities across the Philippines:
- Treasurer
- Assessor
- Accountant
- Budget Officer
- Planning and Development Coordinator
- Engineer / Building Official
- Health Officer
- Civil Registrar
- Municipal Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Officer
Depending on the need to do so, the municipal mayor may also appoint the following municipal positions:
- Administrator
- Legal Officer
- Agriculturist
- Architect
- Information Officer
- Tourism Officer
- Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer
- Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer
Duties and functions
editAs mentioned in Title II, Book III of Republic Act 7160, the municipal mayor is the chiefexecutive officerof the municipal government and shall determine guidelines on local policies and direct formulation of development plans. These responsibilities shall be under approval of the Sangguniang Bayan.
Thevice mayor(bise-alkalde) shall sign all warrants drawn on the municipal treasury. Being presiding officer of theSangguniang Bayan(English:Municipal Council), he can as well appoint members of the municipal legislature except its twelve (12) regular members orkagawadwho are also elected everylocal electionalongside the municipal mayor and vice mayor. In circumstances where the mayor permanently or temporarily vacates the position, he shall assume executive duties and functions.
While the vice mayor presides over the legislature, she or he cannot vote unless the necessity of tie-breaking arises. Laws or ordinances proposed by the Sangguniang Bayan, however, may be approved or vetoed by the mayor. If approved, they become local ordinances. If the mayor neither vetoes nor approves the proposal of the Sangguniang Bayan for ten (10) days from the time of receipt, the proposal becomes law as if it had been signed. If vetoed, the draft is sent back to the Sangguniang Bayan. The latter may override the mayor by a vote of at least two-thirds (2 / 3) of all its members, in which case, the proposal becomes law.
A municipality, upon reaching certain requirements (such as minimum population size, and minimum annual revenue) may opt to become a city. First, a bill must be passed inCongress,then signed into law by thePresidentand then the residents would vote in the resultingplebisciteto accept or reject cityhood. One benefit in being a city is that the city government gets more budget, buttaxesare much higher than in municipalities.
Income classification
editRepublic Act (RA) No. 11964, otherwise known as the “Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units Act”, was signed by the PhilippinePresident Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.on October 26, 2023.[19][20]The law classifies municipalities into five (5) classes, according to their income ranges, based on the average annual regular income for three fiscal years preceding a general income reclassification.[21][22]The classifications are as follows:
| Cl | Average annual income ₱ |
|---|---|
| First | > 200,000,000.00 |
| Second | 160,000,000.00 – 200,000,000.00 |
| Third | 130,000,000.00 – 160,000,000.00 |
| Fourth | 90,000,000.00 – 130,000,000.00 |
| Fifth | < 90,000,000.00 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Regional Summary Number of Provinces, Cities, Municipalities and Barangays by Region"(PDF).Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG Philippines).Jun 30, 2024.RetrievedSep 19,2024.
- ^abBernard Moses (1904)."Colonial Policy with Reference to the Philippines"(PDF).Proceedings of the American Political Science Association.1:103.doi:10.2307/3038324.JSTOR3038324.RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^"Tagalog Language Packet"(PDF).p. 51.RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^"English to Filipino Meaning:: town".RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^"Visayan-English Dictionary by Gutenberg Project"(PDF).p. 286.RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^"Cebuano For Beginners"(PDF).p. 33.RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^"Ilocano Dictionary - Town".RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^Constantino, Renato; Constantino, Letizia R. (1975). "Chapter V - The Colonial Landscape".The Philippines: A Past Revisited (Vol. I)(Sixteenth Printing (January 1998) ed.). Manila, Philippines: Renato Constantino. pp. 60–61.ISBN971-895-800-2.OL9180911M.
- ^Carl C. Plehn (1901)."Taxation in the Philippines. I"(PDF).Political Science Quarterly.16(4): 690.doi:10.2307/2140422.JSTOR2140422.RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^Antonio Figueroa (Feb 18, 2017)."FAST BACKWARD: The dissolution of Roxas town".RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^Carl C. Plehn (1901)."Taxation in the Philippines. I"(PDF).Political Science Quarterly.16(4): 688.doi:10.2307/2140422.JSTOR2140422.RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^Norman G. Owen (1971).Compadre Colonialism: Studies In The Philippines Under American Rule.University of Michigan Press. p. 17.ISBN9780891480037.
- ^Norman G. Owen (1971).Compadre Colonialism: Studies In The Philippines Under American Rule.University of Michigan Press. p. 18.ISBN9780891480037.
- ^"Act No. 2408".RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^"Mindanao: Land of promise (1999)".RetrievedOct 6,2021.
- ^"Executive Order No. 42, s. 1963: Declaring Certain Municipal Districts in the Philippines as Municipalities".Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.Jun 25, 1963.RetrievedOct 7,2021.
- ^"The Local Government Code of the Philippines"(PDF).Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.RetrievedOct 7,2021.
- ^abRA7160 1991.
- ^Bajo, Anna Felicia (Oct 27, 2023)."Marcos signs law institutionalizing automatic LGU income classification".GMA News Online.RetrievedJun 4,2024.
- ^Gutierrez, Margarita (Nov 3, 2023)."Automatic income classification for LGUs".Daily Tribune.RetrievedJun 4,2024.
- ^Lo, Katrina (Oct 28, 2023)."New law updating the income classification of LGUs to help DOF boost LGU revenues, fiscal sustainability".Department of Finance.RetrievedJun 4,2024.
- ^Republic Act No. 11964 (Oct 26, 2023),An Act Institutionalizing the Automatic Income Classification of Provinces, Cities, and Municipalities, and for Other Purposes
Sources
edit- Republic Act No. 7160 (Oct 10, 1991),"Local Government Code of 1991",lawphil.net(8th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines),archivedfrom the original on May 3, 2016
- "Income Classification for Provinces, Cities and Municipalities".NSCB.Nov 20, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon Aug 30, 2003.
- "DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE ORDER No.23–08"(PDF).NSCB.Jul 29, 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on Nov 13, 2010.
- "Philippine Standard Geographic Code – List of Municipalities".PSA.Mar 31, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon Jul 6, 2016.