Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay voiced her support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s initiative to reintegrate local government units (LGUs) into the planning and implementation of nationally funded projects.
“There should have been such a system in place long ago, coordination of (the) national government with LGUs. That’s why we have the regional development council, where LGUs are members,” said Binay.
Marcos said during his time as governor of Ilocos Norte, completed projects were approved and evaluated by local officials, a procedure that is currently not being followed.
“The standard operating procedure (SOP) previously was that before a project was handed over to the local government, it had to be accepted by them first. This is a practice we intend to reinstate,” he said.
San Juan City Mayor and League of Cities of the Philippines President Francis Zamora said earlier that the reinstatement serves as a clear indication of the president’s increasing confidence in the capabilities of LGUs as authentic partners of the national government in nation-building.
Mayor Binay echoed perspectives that local officials are the ones who know what projects are needed in the area. She emphasized the importance of engagement in decision-making processes.
“My understanding is there is always coordination with the LGU because everything starts from the LGU, and everything should start from the barangay officials. From city hall officials, there should be coordination from the national,” she said.
Binay added that by collaborating closely with local residents, the government can ensure that the initiatives truly reflect the needs and priorities of the people they serve.
“Perhaps we should strengthen the participation of the regional development council, where national government projects will go through,” the Makati City mayor said.
Unreported flood control initiatives in other cities by the national government have angered a number of other local officials. At present, the local government of Makati is conducting an audit of all flood control projects in the city.
“At the moment, we are auditing the Department of Public Works and Highways flood control projects that are being done here in Makati. Usually, they just ask us for an excavation permit; we don’t have any,” Binay said.
Although Makati has some flooding issues, Binay said the city is still lucky because the flooding problem isn’t that severe.
“We have a few barangays, like in the areas of Tripa de Gallina and the one in Maricaban. Makati alone can’t solve that because that Tripa involves other cities. It’s very important to have coordination with the national government and, of course, with our neighbors,” she said.
