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A municipality ( tl, bayan/munisipalidad; hil, banwa; ceb, lungsod/munisipalidad/munisipyo; pag, baley; pam, balen/balayan; bcl, banwaan; war, bungto/munisipyo; ilo, ili) is a local government unit (LGU) in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. It is distinct from ''city'', which is a different category of local government unit.
Provinces of the Philippines In the Philippines, provinces ( fil, lalawigan) are one of its primary political and administrative divisions. There are 82 provinces at present, which are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The local government uni ...
are divided into cities and municipalities, which in turn, are divided into
barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...
s (formerly barrios) – ''villages''. , there are 1,488 municipalities across the country. A municipality is the official term for, and the official local equivalent of, a
town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...
, the latter being its archaic term and in all of its literal local translations including Filipino. Both terms are interchangeable. A municipal district is a now-defunct local government unit; previously certain areas were created first as municipal districts before they were converted into municipalities.


History

The era of the formation of municipalities in the Philippines started during the Spanish rule, in which the colonial government founded hundreds of towns and villages across the archipelago modeled after towns and villages in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
. They were then grouped together along with a centralized town center called ''cabecera'' or ''
poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippine city or municipality, which may take up th ...
'' where the ayuntamiento, or town hall, was located; the poblacion served as the nucleus of each municipality. Only the communities that were permanently settled under the
reduccion Reductions ( es, reducciones, also called ; , pl. ) were settlements created by Spanish rulers and Roman Catholic missionaries in Spanish America and the Spanish East Indies (the Philippines). In Portuguese-speaking Latin America, such red ...
system, and have fully converted into
Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, are allowed to form municipalities, while others that have not yet been fully converted are to be subdued until conditions permitted for them to be incorporated as municipalities. As time passed, municipalities were created out of already existing ones, leading to them becoming smaller in area over time. Each municipality was governed by a ''capitan'', usually a member of native principalia of the town, who have the task of remitting revenues to the central government in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
. Ever since its inception to the present day, the term "municipality" holds the same definition as "town" when the first towns grew in size under the Spanish ''pueblo'' system (''pueblo'' meaning "town" in Spanish language) to be granted municipal charters, hence the current official term for such type of settlements. During the American administration, the municipal system put in place by the preceding Spanish authorities was preserved and at the same time reformed with greater inclusiveness among all Filipinos. Municipal districts, which were in essence unincorporated areas presided over by local tribal chiefs set up by American authorities, were created for the first time in 1914. More municipalities were created during this time, especially in Mindanao where there was a massive influx of settlers from the Luzon and the Visayas. After a while the independent Republic of the Philippines was declared in 1946, all municipal districts were dissolved and were absorbed into or broken into municipalities. The latest guidelines in the creation of new municipalities were introduced in 1991 with the issuance of the Local Government Code.


Responsibilities and powers

Municipalities have some autonomy from the National Government of the Republic of the Philippines under the ''
Local Government Code Codification of laws is a common practice in the Philippines. Many general areas of substantive law, such as criminal law, civil law and labor law are governed by legal codes. Tradition of codification Codification is predominant in cou ...
of 1991''. They have been granted corporate personality enabling them to enact local policies and laws, enforce them, and govern their jurisdictions. They can enter into contracts and other transactions through their elected and appointed officials and can tax. They are tasked with enforcing all laws, whether local or national. The National Government assists and supervises the local government to make sure that they do not violate national law. Local Governments have their own executive and legislative branches and the checks and balances between these two major branches, along with their separation, are more pronounced than that of the national government. The Judicial Branch of the Republic of the Philippines also caters to the needs of local government units. Local governments, such as a municipalities, do not have their own judicial branch: their judiciary is the same as that of the national government.


Organization

According to Chapter II, Title II, Book III of ''Republic Act 7160'' or the ''Local Government Code of 1991'', a municipality shall mainly have a mayor (''alkalde''), a vice mayor (''ikalawang alkalde''/''bise alkalde'') and members (''kagawad'') of the legislative branch Sangguniang Bayan alongside a secretary to the said legislature. The following positions are also required for all municipalities across the Philippines: * Treasurer * Assessor * Accountant * Budget Officer * Planning and Development Coordinator * Engineer/Building Official * Health Officer * Civil Registrar * Municipal Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Officer Depending on the need to do so, the municipal mayor may also appoint the following municipal positions: * Administrator * Legal Officer * Agriculturist * Architect * Information Officer * Tourism Officer * Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer * Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer


Duties and functions

As mentioned in Title II, Book III of Republic Act 7160, the municipal mayor is the chief executive officer of the municipal government and shall determine guidelines on local policies and direct formulation of development plans. These responsibilities shall be under approval of the Sangguniang Bayan. The vice mayor (''bise-alkalde'') shall sign all warrants drawn on the municipal treasury. Being presiding officer of the Sangguniang Bayan (
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
: Municipal Council), he can as well appoint members of the municipal legislature except its twelve (12) regular members or ''kagawad'' who are also elected every local election alongside the municipal mayor and vice mayor. In circumstances where the mayor permanently or temporarily vacates the position, he shall assume executive duties and functions. While vice mayor presides over the legislature, he cannot vote unless the necessity of tie-breaking arises. Laws or ordinances proposed by the Sangguniang Bayan, however, may be approved or vetoed by the mayor. If approved, they become local ordinances. If the mayor neither vetoes nor approves the proposal of the Sangguniang Bayan for ten (10) days from the time of receipt, the proposal becomes law as if it had been signed. If vetoed, the draft is sent back to the Sangguniang Bayan. The latter may override the mayor by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of all its members, in which case, the proposal becomes law. A municipality, upon reaching a certain requirements – minimum population size, and minimum annual revenue – may opt to become a city. First, a bill must be passed in
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, then signed into law by the President and then the residents would vote in the succeeding
plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...
to accept or reject cityhood. One benefit in being a city is that the city government gets more budget, but taxes are much higher than in municipalities.


Income classification

Municipalities are divided into income classes according to their average annual income during the previous four calendar years:


See also

* Sangguniang Bayan * List of cities and municipalities in the Philippines *
List of renamed cities and municipalities in the Philippines The following is a list of renamed cities and municipalities in the Philippines. Luzon *Adan → AdamsAdams
Official Website ...


References


Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Municipalities Of The Philippines Subdivisions of the Philippines Philippines 2 Municipalities, Philippines