ARTICLE XLOCAL GOVERNMENT
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 1. The territorial and
political subdivisions of the Republic of the Philippines are the
provinces,
cities, municipalities, and barangays. There shall be autonomous
regions
in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras as hereinafter provided.
Section 2. The territorial
and political subdivisions shall enjoy local autonomy.cralaw:red
Section 3. The Congress shall
enact a local government code which shall 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 the local units.cralaw:red
Section 4. The President
of the Philippines shall exercise general supervision over local
governments.
Provinces with respect to component cities and municipalities, and
cities
and municipalities with respect to component barangays, shall ensure
that
the acts of their component units are within the scope of their
prescribed
powers and functions.cralaw:red
Section 5. Each local government
unit shall have the power to create its own sources of revenues and to
levy taxes, fees and charges subject to such guidelines and limitations
as the Congress may provide, consistent with the basic policy of local
autonomy. Such taxes, fees, and charges shall accrue exclusively to the
local governments.cralaw:red
Section 6. Local government
units shall have a just share, as determined by law, in the national
taxes
which shall be automatically released to them.cralaw:red
Section 7. Local governments
shall be entitled to an equitable share in the proceeds of the
utilization
and development of the national wealth within their respective areas,
in
the manner provided by law, including sharing the same with the
inhabitants
by way of direct benefits.cralaw:red
Section 8. The term of office
of elective local officials, except barangay officials, which shall be
determined by law, shall be three years and no such official shall
serve
for more than three consecutive terms. Voluntary renunciation of the
office
for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in
the
continuity of his service for the full term for which he was elected.cralaw:red
Section 9. Legislative bodies
of local governments shall have sectoral representation as may be
prescribed
by law.cralaw:red
Section 10. No province,
city, municipality, or barangay may be created, divided, merged,
abolished,
or its boundary substantially altered, except in accordance with the
criteria
established in the local government code and subject to approval by a
majority
of the votes cast in a plebiscite in the political units directly
affected.cralaw:red
Section 11. The Congress
may, by law, create special metropolitan political subdivisions,
subject
to a plebiscite as set forth in Section 10 hereof. The component cities
and municipalities shall retain their basic autonomy and shall be
entitled
to their own local executive and legislative assemblies. The
jurisdiction
of the metropolitan authority that will thereby be created shall be
limited
to basic services requiring coordination.cralaw:red
Section 12. Cities that are
highly urbanized, as determined by law, and component cities whose
charters
prohibit their voters from voting for provincial elective officials,
shall
be independent of the province. The voters of component cities within a
province, whose charters contain no such prohibition, shall not be
deprived
of their right to vote for elective provincial officials.cralaw:red
Section 13. Local government
units may group themselves, consolidate or coordinate their efforts,
services,
and resources for purposes commonly beneficial to them in accordance
with
law.cralaw:red
Section 14. The President
shall provide for regional development councils or other similar bodies
composed of local government officials, regional heads of departments
and
other government offices, and representatives from non-governmental
organizations
within the regions for purposes of administrative decentralization to
strengthen
the autonomy of the units therein and to accelerate the economic and
social
growth and development of the units in the region.
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