Anthony M Bandagosa

MPA
DL PA 251 – LOCAL GOVERNANCE

Exercise #1

1. What must a local government have so that it can be called as such?

Local government is a political subdivision of a nation or state

constituted by law, which has substantial control over land affairs including
the power to impose taxes, the governing body of which is elected and
appointed. It is a set of rule-making and rule-enforcement activities binding
upon a set of collectivity. It also has a definite area, pollution, continuing
organization, and the authority to undertake and the power to carry out
public activities in a particular area. It is referred as municipal corporation.

2. What are the requisites of local government?

a. Legal creation or incorporation;

b. Corporate name;
c. Inhabitants;
d. Place of Territory;
e. Charter; and
f. Legislative Power.

3. The two major concepts of the local government are:

a. It is a political subdivision of the national government excluding the field

offices of line agencies geographically located within the jurisdiction of
the local government units. It is the traditional and legal concept of
local government.
b. The geographic area where all government units, including the field
officers of line agencies of the national government, are considered as
part of the local government.

4. The difference between a component city to that of a highly urbanized

city?

Component city is like a municipality, whereas highly urbanized city

is independent of the province where if is located and under the
President’s in direct supervision.

5. Are Regional Development Councils considered local government?

 No

6. Why or why not?

Regional Development Councils are not considered as local governments

or municipal corporations because they do not have separate corporate
responsibilities; neither do they exercise legislative functions.

Exercise #2

1. How the barangay became the local government unit?

During the Spanish Period, the Filipino ancestors established an

indigenous political institution known as the barangay. It composed of
some 30-100 households, based largely on kinship. Every barangay was
headed by a ruler known as the datu who was also referred to as rajah,
gat, or lakan, datuship, or leadership, was attained through inheritance,
physical prowess, wealth, wisdom or virtue, or through a combination of
any tow or more of these qualities.

2. How was the barangay of the Spanish era different from the martial
regime?

During the Spanish period, the barangays were transformed into

barrios and the datus relegated to the role of tax collectors known as
cabezas de barangay, while during the martial regime, renamed some of
the local government units and used indigenous terms such as the
barangay for barrio.

3. Differentiate the local government of the different periods in term of:

4. What is the significance of the following:

a. Batas Pambansa Bilang 222, pursuant to this law, barangay election was
held on May 17, 1982; conversion of the Ministry of local Government
and Community Development (MLGCD) into a Ministry of Local
Government (MLG); and the approval of the Local Government Code;

b. Executive Order No. 777, mandated the MLG to develop the capability
of local government officials and strengthen the administrative
capability of local government units, to assist the President in exercising
 his power of general supervision over local governments and to assist in
the administration of the Katarungang Pambarangay;

c. Batas Pambansa Bilang 337 enacted the Local Government Code

defining a more responsive and accountable local government
structure with an effective system of recall, allocating among the
different local government units their powers, responsibilities, and
resources, and providing for the qualifications, election and removal,
term, salaries, powers, functions and duties of local officials, and all other
matters relating to the organization and operation of the local
government units.

d. Local Government Code contains a number of significant provisions,

including principle of liberal interpretation of local government powers.
It defines the role and functions of the local government unit and the
degree of supervision by the central agencies. It also provides for a
system of recall of local officials.

Exercise #3

1. The corporate powers of the local government are:

a. To have continuous succession in its corporate name;

b. To sue and to be sued;
c. To have and use a corporate seal;
d. To acquire and convey real or personal property;
e. To enter into contracts; and
f. To exercise such other powers as are granted to corporations.

2. The different functions of local government are:

a. Legislative function
b. Executive function
b.1 Administrative function
b.2 Governmental function

3. The following are the offices organized in the local government in order to
assist the local chief executive:
a. By purpose – health, jail, engineering;
b. By process – treasury and assessment. Purchasing and general services,
legal services, personnel, budgeting;
 c. By area clientele – day-care centers and other social services;
3.1 Budget Office
3.2 Planning and Development
3.3 Personnel and Legal Services
3.4 Office of the Administrator
3.5 General Services
3.6 Security Services
3.7 Treasury, Assessment, Engineering, Agriculture, Veterinary, Library and
Social Services
3.8 Civil Registration Office

4. The “general-purpose” concept in the municipalities and cities is the

coordination and delivery of basic, regular and service within their
jurisdiction. They must provide services which are basically needed by
their immediate populations.

Exercise #4

1. The following are the major functions of the barangay:

a. Administrative and development involves the planning and

implementation of programs, projects and activities; and

b. Political in the sense that the barangay serves as the sounding board,
both upward and downward, for the articulation of the problems,
needs, and sentiments of the people, as well as the mechanism through
which the government directly interacts with the people.

2. What is the distinction between a municipality and a city?

Cities usually have to encompass a certain geographic area and

consist of a minimum of a certain number of citizens in order to be
considered 'cities.' The term 'municipality,' on the other hand, is a generic
term and can refer to any incorporated sub-division (other than a a
county/parish) regardless of its size or population.

3. The province under the local Government Code is a political unit

comprised of a group of municipalities and component cities. Its role is to
serve as an effective mechanism in the development process and assume
basically area-wide functions, roles and activities.

4. The role of a regional government under the Local Government Code is to

coordinate and integrate the planning and implementation of
development programs and projects in the region which are now being
 performed by the various regional offices of line agencies and special
statutory bodies.

Exercise #6

1. What is the difference between government and governance?

Governance and government are interchangeable in the sense the

process of governing, but they differ in other senses. Government often
refers to the governing body itself, while governance often refers to the act
of governing. So members of a government are engaged in governance.

Government is the elected body of representatives headed by a

person. This body has the mandate to rule or govern people. And the
manner in which they use the established system and principles to run the
affairs of the country is called governance.

Meanwhile, governance is often the better word for the

administration of nongovernmental organizations (corporations, for
example), while government works better in reference to the public
administration of nations, states, municipalities, etc.

Governance can be good or bad depending upon the perception

of the people and they may accordingly choose to retain or vote a
particular government out of power.

In nutshell, governance is what a government does. It is the exercise

of powers that are bestowed upon the government according to set rules
and regulations using a system of bureaucracy that defines governance.
Government is merely an instrument for the purpose of governance.

Exercise #7

1. What are the functions of government and governance?

Functions of Government Functions of Governance

 to establish justice, form a union,  exercise of political, economic
insure domestic tranquility, and administrative authority to
promote welfare and provide manage a nation’s affairs;
defense;  embraces all of the methods –
 enable the government to good and bad – that societies
establish and enforce laws; use to distribute power and
  is also able to set up forces to manage public resources and
protect its citizens both locally problems;
and nationally;  is the manner in which power is
 also cover the basic needs of exercised in the management
the citizens; and of a country’s social and
 works for the people and it economic resources for
should always have the best development
interest of the people at the
forefront of all reform.

2. Describe the following terms of government and governance.

Government is a body that comprises a person or a group of persons

who run the administration of a country. This is a means in which power is
exercised. There are various forms of governments such as democracy or
autocracy but this article will remain confined to the general term
government which is commonly used in social sciences. In normal
circumstances, a state is run by a government that has a mandate from the
people to run the affairs of the country and also a term that may be of 4-6
years to serve the state. Thus there is a succession of governments in any
country or the same government may be elected again for a successive term
if people feel that it has done its job of running the country in a fair and close
to ideal manner.

Governance refers to the activities of a government. In layman’s terms,

it is the rules and laws made by the government that are sought to be
implemented through a chosen bureaucracy which is referred to as
governance. The process of governing people or a state is called
governance.

Exercise #8

1. What are the actors in government?

a. Ruling – State is the wielder of power, the principal actor in government.

Its major function is to facilitate by providing resources to assist markets
and communities. Such resources include information, technical
expertise and advice, research and development programs, physical
infrastructure as well as grants-in-aid or incentive schemes;

b. Orchestrating –
 c. Controlling

d. Governing

2. How does the state play its key roles of enabling and facilitating the
participation of other elements of society?

The state as enabler provides the legal and regulatory framework

and political order within which firms and organizations can plan and act.
It can encourage citizens to act by liberating them form the fear of military
reprisals when they criticize policies or serve marginalized groups. It can
assure private firms that policies are fair and not subject to caprice or whim
or the private interests of political officials.

3. In what forms of resources does the state facilitate?

To facilitate by providing resources to assist markets and

communities. Such resources include information, technical expertise and
advice, research and development programs, physical infrastructure as
well as grants-in-aid or incentive schemes.

4. What are the two other actors in governance? How does each one act?

a. Civil society consists of the complex of citizens and group outside

government but working in the public arena. It is also called as non-
government organizations which attempts to represent the interests of
the inarticulate and the excluded even as they endeavor to organize
them so that they may arise their own voices on social issues and
exercise their own power over themselves and the collective life of the
nation.

b. Market

5. Under the regime of governance, what is the role of the private sector?

The role of the private sector under the regime of governance is as

the engine of society.

Exercise #9

1. How can a state serve as an instrument for growth and development?

 2. What were the scenarios that happened in the differrent nations that led
to their privatization yet they realized that they-the different sectors have
their own role to play.
3. In what way could environment movement affect the government of a
state?
4. Describe first world, second world and the third world.
5. Characterize each concept and rank demarcations of each era.

a. Colonialism
b. Cold war
c. Globalization

Exercise #10
1. What are the characteristics of bad goverment and bad governance?
2. Compare the points mentioned above to a good government.

Exercise#11
1. What are the existing and current challenges that are exerting pressure in our state?
Exercise#12
1. How can the government assume?
a. as a miniminalist?
b. as a interventionist?
2. How is the process of rowing and steering actualized in managing the government?

Exercise#13
Expound the essence of good governance which is based on shared values