Marcos stresses importance of LGU executives’ role in nation building

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (Photo from Marcos’ website)

MANILA—Vice presidential candidate and Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has underscored the need to recognize the role of the Local Government Unit (LGU) leaders in involving the people in nation building.

”You are the ones who deliver services to the people and that’s why I have high respect to our local executives,” Marcos said in his message during the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) General Assembly at the Grand Ballroom of Marriott Hotel in Pasay City last Tuesday night.

To empower the local executives to work hard, Marcos said the national government should increase the financial support to the LGUs by possibly increasing their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share from 40 to 50 percent.

”This is in recognition of the hard work and sacrifices of the LGU executivess,” Marcos said, drawing applause from the local leaders.

Marcos, who served as local executive in his home province of Ilocos Norte for nine years, promised to push his proposal to increase the IRA share of the LGUs if elected vice president in the May 9 polls.

In a media interview, Marcos said a federalism form of government is another way to empower the LGUs and bring the economic development to the different parts of the country.

”One idea of federalism is to let the LGUs operate the government, take initiatives and raise their own funding without relying too much on the national government,” he said.

Marcos was just one of the national candidates who took the opportunity to present their platforms of government to the local executives led by their LMP national president Mayor Sandy Javier.

Other national candidates present during the evening event included reelectionist Senator Ralph Recto and senatorial aspirants Isko Moreno, Riza Hontiveros, Leila de Lima, Jericho Petilla, Roman Romulo, Mark Lapid and former Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan.

In the morning event, President Benigno S. Aquino III was the guest speaker and he was joined by the Liberal Party (LP) candidates led by its standard-bearer Mar Roxas and vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo.