Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Bill carries Lapu proposal on LGUs’ municipal waters
CONGRESS is considering a suggestion by Lapu-Lapu City for a new national land use policy that would also cover municipal waters.
The proposal is contained in a pending bill by Rep. Antonio Cerilles (Zamboanga del Sur, 2nd district).
Lapu-Lapu Vice Mayor Mario Amores said they introduced the idea during the public hearing on the bill in Boracay, Aklan last Oct. 3 .
Amores said the intention is for local government units (LGUs) to get funds from the national government to manage their municipal waters, similar to internal revenue allotment (IRA). He said the function was a mandate of the national government before the Fisheries Code of the Philippine delegated it to LGUs.
The bill proposes the institutionalization of a national “land and water use policy,” upon the suggestion of Lapu-Lapu City.
Different LGUs in Mindanao were represented during the public hearing. Amores and City Councilor Marcial Ycong attended in behalf of Lapu-Lapu City.
Cerilles was reportedly amenable to the idea of including water use but said he still needed to present the bill for a public hearing in other places so he can have enough inputs when he submits it to plenary.
Lapu-Lapu City’s annual 20 percent IRA share reached P270 million due to the steady increase in real estate tax collection.
Amores said that like the land use policy where the IRA share is stipulated, Congress should find a scheme where LGU’s can get return income from national government for managing municipal waters.
“Naa man gud tay expenses pag conserve ug maintain sa municipal waters so it is also fair nga naa ta’y madawat nga income from the national government,” he said. (AIV)
