COVID-19 positive Rama joins Marcos courtesy call via Zoom

CEBU, Philippines —  Even though he tested positive for CoViD-19, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was able to lead other mayors who are officers of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) in their courtesy call on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. at the Malacañang yesterday.

Despite not being there in person, Rama was able to communicate with the president and the other LCP officers via Zoom video conference and inform them of his situation.

“I’m sad but still happy because I am not there physically but from a distance,” said Rama, who is the current LCP president.

In a statement delivered by Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte-Alimurung during the courtesy call on behalf of the organization, the LCP asked the president to take into account local conditions when enforcing Executive Order (EO) No. 138.

EO 138 provides for the full devolution of certain functions of the Executive Branch to the Local Governments Units (LGUs), as well as the creation of a Committee on Devolution.

The executive order, popularly known as the "Mandanas ruling," was issued by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on June 1, 2021, to coincide with the Supreme Court's decision in the case "Mandanas, et al. vs. Executive Secretary."

According to EO 138, with the total shares expected to increase significantly this year, LGUs will become empowered to provide basic services and facilities to their constituents. National government agencies can then “assume more strategic and steering functions to address persistent development issues.”

However, the LCP informed President Marcos that not all cities could carry out the mandate given to them, particularly the "44 low-income cities" and the "highly-populated cities" in the nation.

“An initial step is to improve each city’s capacities. Not all cities are equal. Each LGU has to be given the opportunity to pursue devolution based on its capacities,” said Belmonte-Alimurung.

Marcos responded by stating that he has already assembled a team led by Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos to truly look into the devolution.

“We started talking about this when I was still in the Senate. I was the chairman of the committee on local government,” he said.

“Ang aming tinitingnan is what belongs to the local government and what does not. Kung ano ang hindi natin kayang gawin, tingnan natin ulit,” he added.

He specifically highlighted that the LGUs should already be in charge of overseeing the need for school repairs and that any cash the national government has available should be channeled through them.

He also warned the mayors that the local government units should prepare for a considerable reduction in their share in the year 2024 as a result of the pandemic's adverse effects on the nation's economy in 2021.

The president also advised the mayors to embrace digitalization in their various businesses and learn how to conduct projects using the "Public-Private Partnership" (PPP) model.

“Digitalization will be something of a natural fit for PPPs, pati sa national level. Local government cannot do it alone, you need partners. Sanay kayo diyan,” he said. — Shaina Fame Marie P. Mabatid, UV Intern, JMD (FREEMAN)