MikeLigalig.com

Reported by June S. Blanco
Office of the Governor

Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado gently but firmly declined another term as president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) – a loss to the league and to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo – but a gain for the province of Bohol.

Aumentado who got an unprecedented third consecutive term when he won the May 14 gubernatorial race against six opponents said in his last three years as governor, he will focus his time on matters related to the progress and development for the province.

The LPP will meet on Tuesday to elect from among themselves a new set of officers to succeed the current Aumentado-Luis “Chavit” Singson of Ilocos Sur administration.

The following is his valedictory address.

“THE putative leaders of the League of Provinces of the Philippines led by Gov. Loreto Leo S. Ocampos and Gov. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte, my distinguished colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen:

Today, the torch of leadership of the LPP will pass on from the Aumentado-Singson administration to their successors. This historic event will usher in the new generation of leaders who, we hope, can build bridges, not walls, and build on the accomplishments of all their predecessors while opening up new frontiers of local governance.

We must have to sustain the strong bond of cooperation and unity the LPP has stood for the last three years.

It cannot be denied that the Aumentado-Singson leadership came at a time when there was a strong move to destabilize the administration of President Arroyo. Thus, the LPP and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) came to the support unequivocally of President Arroyo and called for the first LGU summit on national reconciliation and unity. Thereafter, we have shown to the world and the country that the LGUs will not compromise with those who are out to destabilize and remove the President from power outside of the constitutional processes.

It is now part of history that in the battle for the impeachment of the President, the LPP and ULAP joined forces to work with the Congressmen for the defeat of such constitutional process.

For our unconditional support of President Arroyo, the LGU phenomenon was recognized not only by the corridors of power but by the critical media as well.

Our efforts gained rewards from the President and those who believed in our advocacies.
Apart from strengthening President Arroyo’s Strong Republic , the League of Provinces of the Philippines has achieved the following sterling accomplishments:

Firstly: President Arroyo and the Congress of the Philippines have decided to release the Internal Revenue Allotments (IRA) of the LGUs without any further need of a national appropriations act beginning this Calendar Year of 2007.

Secondly: The National Government has agreed to the inclusion of the Value Added Tax in the Internal Revenue Allotment of Local Government Units. In fact, this is now the basis of our increased IRA for 2007, and hopefully, onwards.

Thirdly: The President, in her previous State of the Nation Address (SONA), explicitly announced her desire to shift development from the center to the countrysides, and empower more the local government units in the areas of financial decentralization and local autonomy.

Fourthly: The President has made the LGUs strong partners in the implementation of the super regions project and now are represented in the policy-making bodies of the government through their representation by your humble president in the Cabinet NEDA Board, the Executive and Legislative Development Advisory Council and other vital organs of the government where our representatives are sitting; and

Fifthly: LPP can be proud now that we have our home, our own headquarters, located at Room 1510, 15th Floor, Western Tower of the Philippine Stock Exchange Commission along Ortigas Avenue which Secretary General Josie M. de la Cruz, then governor of Bulacan, negotiated for the LPP. From this place, LPP has its seat of power and communication center. It is proudly our home and coordination center.

Candidly, however, we lost two battles where the battlefields were not of our choice. I am referring to the People’s Initiative where we mustered the overwhelming support of the signatories thereto but we lost the fight in the Supreme Court. The other is our failure to elect two of our members to the Senate and the dismal performance of Team Unity in the senatorial race.

But we find comfort and solace in the overwhelming victories of LPP-supported governors, congressmen and other local elective officials, which could provide a formidable phalanx of support for the Arroyo administration.

In the “massacre” of local elective officials, LPP and ULAP stood valiantly behind their colleagues, notably in the celebrated case of Iloilo Gov. Neil Tupas whose favorable ruling by the Court of Appeals became the precedent for the judicial victories of the other suspended or ousted local officials.

The LPP also supported the fight of Palawan for a just share in the revenues from the Malampaya natural gas project. And in support of Bulacan’s advocacy for the provinces to issue the small scale mining permits – just like in quarrying – and not DENR, the LPP even authorized its counsel to bring the case before the Supreme Court where it is now pending.

On the issue of the PNP provincial directors’ selection, the LPP stood by with the governors concerned. Admittedly, however, there were two provinces which, due to the peculiar situations therein, the desired provincial directors were not given due course.
In fine, LPP won in some of its advocacies, but lost in the others.

In any event, I wish to thank you for your kind support in all our undertakings.

Thus, today, the Aumentado-Singson leadership is inspired to pass on the torch of leadership of LPP to a new breed of young leaders who will carry on our unrealized advocacies of amending the Local Government Code to make it more attuned to a stronger decentralization and local autonomy. We started the process with Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., the Father of the Local Government Code, by forming the Senate-LPP and ULAP Technical Working Group to prioritize the LGC provisions to be amended for the purpose.

To the LPP membership, we urge you to support our new leaders and work together for a greater local governance.
Thank you, more power, and Mabuhay to LPP!

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