AT LEAST 583 towns across the country will be receiving funds from the national government amounting to P8.17 billion through the Assistance to Disadvantaged Municipalities program being administered by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The ADM program aims to contribute to the full attainment of empowered, responsible, and responsive local government units. The scheme of transferring funds through this program is expected to have a much stronger equalization effect among LGUs.
In a statement, DILG officer-in-charge Catalino Cuy said that funds will be used for 1,959 local projects such as water system, evacuation facility, local access roads, small water impounding, and sanitation and health facilities.
Cuy said the recipient municipalities belong to the second batch of recipients that have complied with the DILG’s Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping and the assessment of their Performance Management System as well as the adoption of the corresponding improvement measures.
Early this year, the first batch composed of 547 towns received P8.15-billion ADM fund.
While the ADM fund empowers LGUs to propose and implement projects that are responsive to their constituents’ needs, Cuy points out that the beneficiaries are held responsible and accountable in using the funds to improve the performance of public services.
The ADM program is following a five-year governance roadmap that generally aims to contribute to the attainment of a fully decentralized basic service delivery in all municipalities.
This year, it aims to make Local Development Councils fully functional and responsive to national priorities.