Metropolitan Arrangements - Philippine Institute for Development ...

236 ManagingUrbanizationUndera DecentralizedGovernanceFramework
mayor was in the midst of a political battle with the Department of
the Interior and Local Governments (DILG) over several suspension
orders issued to him by the DILG. For several months, the city was
placed under the care of the vice-mayor who eventually gained the
mayoral post in the succeeding elections. The incessant political
bickering in the city during the first half of the nineties severely
constricted long-term development efforts as local officials concerned
themselves with parochial matters. The lackadaisical attitude of the
SangguniangPanglunsod (city council) toward long-term planning even
aggravated the lack of coherence in the city's developmental efforts.
In 1996, the concept was revived. Mayors of the four concerned
local government units, namely, Iloilo City, Oton, Pavia and Leganes,
met to identify areas of possible cooperation. These three
municipalities and the city of Iloilo were identified to constitute
Metropolitan lloilo. With the help of the private sector, a draft
memorandum of agreement was prepared for the creation of the
Metropolitan Iloilo Development Council (MIDC). For this
cooperative undertaking to be legally binding, it has to comply with
the requirements of the Local Government Code of 1991 which
stipulates that a resolution stating the concurrence of the Sanggunian
has to be passed. All the Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council) of
the three municipalities, except that of Iloilo City, passed their
respective resolution of concurrence for the creation of the MIDC.
The implementation of the Metro Iloilo concept was stalled by
the political stalemate between the Iloilo City mayor and the
SangguniangPanglunsod, In refusing to pass the necessary resolution,
the Sangguniang Panglwnsod of Iloilo argued that the memorandum
of agreement did not pass through a process of consultation with
concerned sectors of Iloilo City. The council alleged that the mayor
acted on his own and without the SangguniangPanglunsodproviding
him the mandate to undertake formal arrangements with the
concerned municipalities. The members of the Sangguniang
Panglunsod also alleged that it will be the city of Iloilo which will be
carrying most of the financial burden entailed by this metropolitan
arrangement.
On the surface., it seems that the SangguniangPanglunsod view
the issue as not based on substance but rather, on the process that
went through such undertaking. However, there seems to be a deeper
issue involved. A source commented that the memorandum of