President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recognized the significant role of municipal mayors in governance and praised local government units (LGUs) for improving fiscal discipline and transparency.
Speaking before the local chief executives during the 2025 League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) General Assembly at the Manila Hotel Wednesday, President Marcos thanked LGUs for their contributions to developing significant legislation.
He stressed the vital role of mayors as first responders who address citizens’ concerns based on the realities they face.
The President noted that mayors understand their towns’ strengths and limitations, allowing them to create programs that meet the specific needs of their constituents.
“A testament to this is the progress that we have made in local governance,” the President said, pointing to more LGUs getting the Seal of Good Local Governance.
The President highlighted that mayors have contributed significantly to developing and promoting key legislation, such as the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act and the Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units Act. These laws ensure better standards for managing real properties and create a fairer system for financing local governments.
Local chief executives organized island cluster conferences to localize the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring municipal leaders are equipped to align local programs with global sustainability and development targets.
The President highlighted the evolving nature of governance, which heightened public expectations of their leaders amid current challenges.
The President said that the drivers of economic progress have shifted from traditional industries to innovation-based services, as technology has advanced significantly and climate change has disrupted lives.
He said people expect an efficient, responsive, and inclusive government.
” The solutions of yesterday no longer are relevant today, it could not address the problems of today,” President Marcos said. ” So, we carry a mission that is more crucial than ever: we must lead and we must lead with integrity, serve with competence, and govern with a vision that extends beyond our terms in office.”
The LMP is a non-profit, non-governmental organization representing all municipalities in the Philippines. It was established to address municipal government administration issues and develop solutions through legal means. | PND
