A DISTURBING report coming from the Department of Finance (DOF) shows that 14 provinces and 26 cities have not submitted information on their receipts and expenditures for fiscal year 2012. As required by the DOF, the reports are needed for an assessment of performance by local government units (LGUs) in revenue generation, expenditure management and assets market-value updating. The aim is to regularly publish the information “in the spirit of accountability and good financial housekeeping.”
The provinces are Batanes, Aurora, Camarines Sur, Ilocos Sur, Laguna, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, Marinduque, Capiz, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Surigao del Sur and Sulu. The cities are Manila, Malabon, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Taguig, Urdaneta, Santiago, Isabela, Calamba, Iriga, Canlaon, Passi, Cebu, San Carlos, Mandaue, Bago, Bais, Calbayog, Catbalogan, Ormoc, Gingoog, Pagadian, Bislig, Sagay and Dapitan. Responsible for the submission of the reports are the treasurers of the LGUs concerned.
Earlier, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was reported as complaining that a large number of LGUs have not submitted required reports on the physical and socio-economic features of their communities, to the prejudice, among others, of their own ability to attract outside investments. Yawning gaps exist in the information published by the Philippine Statistical Authority in its Philippine Statistical Yearbook.
A local leader should not be “required” to submit reports on the physical and socioeconomic characteristics of their communities, and the extent to which the people’s money is generated and expended. Simple tidiness of mind alone suggests that this information be assembled, updated and analyzed, to know how matters stand in the community. Enlightened local leadership should be demanding to know how development goals are being achieved.
This is where the trouble lies. Many LGU officials, from the provincial governor to the city mayor, and the respective councils and boards, actually do not have specific development goals. Loyal to the practices of traditional politics—shaking hands, patting backs, massaging egos—many are unconscious of the requirements of modern times. Competence and dedication to the planning and execution of programs for the betterment of the communities is what is necessary. In some cases, having spent so much money to get elected, many utilize their time finding ways to recover their investment.
There are exceptions to these failings, of course. One need only to remember the likes of mayors Bayani Fernando of Marikina, Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City, Richard Gordon of Olongapo, Edward Hagedorn of Puerto Princesa and current Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay to be assured that competence and integrity remain a mark of public leadership.
The need for efficient, effective and honest public administration at all levels, including specifically the local level, cannot be overemphasized. It is an assurance that services are rendered to the people on a timely basis, and that public tasks are accomplished at minimum cost.
We support measures of the DOF and also the DILG not only to raise the rate of LGU compliance with reporting requirements, but also to improve the level of their technical competence and enhance the caliber of their moral integrity.
Image credits: Benjo Laygo
1 comment
This is how lazy the people in Government are.. 🙂 not Generalizing but most of them are.. Imagine how many books which are already being molded in each of these LGU’s ? just noticed this how many local mayor/Governors have tried to modernized their way of doing things where in fact they have the budget to do so… ever since i was a kid, the same story goes, people get elected in the mayoral office but still no difference..
why, cause they only focus on one thing they run for the position in the first place, to get rich via corruption… poor Filipino.
everything is done through magic..!
perhaps we shouldn’t call them politician but magicians..
Sooner or later they will have these report filed but are already tampered and only made/false documents.
somehow if there is one clear goal for all from the local mayors to the governors, modernized and digitized everything, who doesnt have a smart phone nowadays, as simple as getting pic of documents and filing them on their computers as they receive them.
anyways its just my opinions.. ahaha..