SSB supportsnational leadership

SUPPORT --- Members of the League of Mayors of the Philippines flanked President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during a gathering in Malacañang Palace where the Chief Executive called on the support of the mayors, most especially the local chief executives from Mindanao, in the government’s fight against criminality, illegal drugs, and terrorism. Sultan Sa Barongis Mayor RamdatuAngas (2^nd row, 11^th from left) reaffirmed his support on the call of the President. (SULTAN SA BARONGIS MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT -– MINDANAO EXPOSE’)

COTABATO CITY --- The local government of Sultan Sa Barongis in Maguindanao supports the anti-drug war, corruption, and criminality campaign of the national leadership as its representative, the municipal mayor, gracedtheGeneral Assembly (GA) of the country’s 1,400 municipal mayors last March 13-15 in Manila.

Sulta Sa Barongis Mayor RamdatuAngassaid the local government units have a big role to play in fighting the drug menace.

“We strongly extend our support to the Duterte administration’s sustained efforts to put an end to this crisis. I call on my fellow local chief executives to continue supporting President Duterte’s anti-drug campaign,” said Angas.

“As the chief executives of our respective localities, we play an important role in eliminating this crisis. It is a must that we extend our full effort to jail all drug traffickers and drug lords and destroy their evil ends,” he said.

Angas stressed that local leaders should stand behind Duterte, who has made his foremost mission to get rid the nation out of drugs.

The theme for the first GA of the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) under the Duterte administration is “Pagkakaisa ng LMP Laban saDroga, Korapsyon at Kriminalidad.”

“It is a war we must all fight to win, so a support system is a must,” Angas emphasized.

Also at the same assembly, President Rodrigo Duterte, who was the guest speaker, received the commitment of mayors from all over the country to finish their respective Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP) within the year.

The local chief executives put their commitment in a signed pledge which was presented to President Duterte by Local Government Secretary Ismael D. Sueno, LMP President Maria Fe Brondial, and Climate Change Commission Vice Chairperson Secretary VerniceVictorio.

The crafting of the LCCAP by the local government units is mandated by Republic Act 9729, a law created to prevent and reduce the adverse impacts of climate change, while simultaneously highlighting the benefits available.

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to the adverse impacts of climate change and experiences the most intense tropical cyclones known to man, when typhoon Yolanda hit the Visayas and other parts of the country in 2013.

Accordingly, many LGUs encounter difficulties in mainstreaming the concept of climate change in their development plans. This is due either to lack of technical capacity on the part of the local planners or funds to undertake the required studies.

LGUs can use the completed LCCAPs to access funds from the People’s Survival Fund (PSF), which was created by virtue of Republic Act 10174. The law tasked the government to allocate in the national budget P1 billion for the fund, specifically to finance climate change adaptation initiatives of local government units.

Through the assembly, the LMP aims to generate commitment from local chief executives and local planners to complete their Local Climate Change Action Plans within the year and increase information awareness and access of LGUs to the People’s Survival Fund (PSF). Hopefully, local chief executives, as well as key local and national government staff, will be more informed on thedisaster risk reduction initiatives of the Commission, which tackles both climate change adaptation and mitigation.

LMP national president Mayor Maria Fe Brondial of Socorro, Oriental Mindoro said the theme is very important and relevant since they are consistent with the agenda of the Duterte administration.

The LMP is an organization of all the municipalities of the Philippines, mandated by law, with the primary purpose of ventilating, articulating, and crystallizing issues affecting municipal government administration and securing solutions to these issues.(GILMHAR A. LAO & ANNE ACOSTA– MINDANAO EXPOSE’)