Mayors back info drive on parliamentary shift

City mayors nationwide have expressed full support to the plans of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) to carry out its nationwide information campaign on the proposed parliamentary shift at all urban centers outside Metro Manila.

The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) made the commitment of support to the holding of forums, which began in Metro Manila last week. City mayors recently came together for the meeting of LCP national executive board at the Century Park Hotel in Manila.

The mayors also expressed "deep concern" over the Senate-House budget impasse that continues to imperil the release of this year’s P15-billion incremental increase in the internal revenue allotment (IRA) of local government units (LGUs).

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas, who heads the LCP, also passed a resolution appealing to the Senate to affirm its commitment to genuine local autonomy and countryside development by taking steps to break the stalemate on the proposed 2006 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and ensure the passage of the long overdue budget bill when Congress reopens next month.

Trenas said the LCP, which has long endorsed the shift to a parliamentary form of government, welcomed ULAP’s move to replicate its provincial Cha-cha summits in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities, because it will provide people the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of "overhauling the gridlock-prone bicameral-presidential system."

"The LCP remains consistent in its stand on Charter change," Trenas said. "We are solidly behind the ongoing effort to effect constitutional reforms via a people’s initiative and will be giving our all-out support to the ULAP advocacy campaign on the proposed parliamentary shift when it hits our cities starting next week."

ULAP launched the campaign after the Holy Week in tandem with the Sigaw ng Bayan multisectoral coalition. — Cecille Suerte Felipe