BAGUIO CITY – The city council placed second to that of Quezon City in the 2015 National Legislative Award which is a project of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) with the support of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Quezon City received P100,000 in cash prize, while the second to fifth awardees only received plaques of recognition in an awarding held recently at the Iloilo Convention Center in Iloilo City.
The LLA award is already on its fourth consecutive year of implementation.
The award accords official recognition to a City Council or to a Municipal Council that excels in the enactment or ordinances or resolutions that contributed to the attainment of desirable socio-economic and environmental outcomes.
Baguio City lost to Quezon City due to its failure to pass the draft Environment Code and the Tax Code, which was not amended for over 15 years now as well as the comprehensive land use plan and the required zoning ordinance.
Legislations enacted were reviewed by the DILG if these are aligned to the government’s guidepost and priorities such as poverty reduction and social inclusion; environmental sustainability, climate change and disaster risk management; accountable, responsive and participatory governance; fair and stable order based on international rule of law; and, peace and security.
Resolutions passed by the councils were also reviewed on their impact to local communities and if these are aligned to national legislations.
Attendance of legislators to the regular sessions of council members was also checked by the DILG as basis in the ranking, including the council’s adherence to the internal rules of procedure.
Other awardees include Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental for component city, and Oton and Mina, both in Iloilo, for first to third and fourth to sixth class municipality categories, respectively.
In 2006, the Philippine Councilors’ League and DILG launched the LLA to recognize the exemplary performance of the city and municipal councils in legislating measures that help build the foundation of local administration and development.
It was learned that the proposal to amend the real property and business taxes has been pending before the city council for over a year now but the same has not been officially acted upon because most of the city councillors are inclined to protect their own political interests rather than the greater interest of the city as a whole.
By Dexter A. See
