GAP in service delivery – this could happen during the devolution transition period if there is a lack of coordination between the national and local governments in implementing Mandanas ruling, if there would be no close coordination between national and local governments and no updating and fine-tuning of local government units’ (LGUs) capacities.
With the implementation of the Supreme ruling on the Mandanas-Garcia petition, the national tax allotment (formerly known as the internal revenue allotment) was 38 percent higher in 2022, almost 20 percent of the proposed budget. This meant more resources going to LGUs. For 2023, however, this is a bit lower due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The national government has identified spending responsibilities, specifically on devolved services, to be carried out by LGUs. Meanwhile, the national government will serve as secondary support in the process. This new phase of decentralization provides prospects for improved service delivery, as experts would say, local governments being on the ground can directly feel the citizens’ needs and aspirations. Hence, decentralization encourages prompt responses and better matching of government services to local needs, making governance more inclusive.
However, there is a need to look at the capacities of local governments, especially in absorbing re-devolved functions while maintaining their full autonomy in planning and managing their resources. There is an urgent need to provide capacity building to local governments to improve their implementation capacities along with the identified devolved mandates, and provide guidance to enjoin them to channel the increased resources towards government’s priority particularly the campaign in responding to COVID-19.
Moreover, the national government must define the standards to guide LGUs in providing a comparable level of services across provinces, cities, and municipalities as well as put in place the necessary monitoring and assessment mechanism to know the level of effectiveness and citizen satisfaction on the LGU service delivery.
In other words, the national government should remain a steady hand guiding LGUs as they navigate the challenges of devolution.
