The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG; ) is the

executive department The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...

of the

Philippine government The government of the Philippines () has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative and democratic constitutional repub ...

responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards the effective delivery of basic services to the citizenry. The department is currently led by the

secretary of the interior and local government The secretary of the interior and local government (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kalihim ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal'') is the member of the Cabinet of the Philippines, Cabinet in charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Governm ...

, nominated by the

president of the Philippines The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...

and confirmed by the

Commission on Appointments The Commission on Appointments (, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by the 1987 Constitution. Whil ...

. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet. The current secretary of the interior and local government is

Jonvic Remulla Juanito Victor "Jonvic" Catibayan Remulla Jr. (; born October 23, 1967) is a Filipino politician who had served as the 42nd secretary of the Interior and Local Government, secretary of the interior and local government since 2024. He previously ...

History

The Department of the Interior and Local Government traces its roots to the

Tejeros Convention The Tejeros Convention (Spanish: ''Convención de Tejeros''; Tagalog: ''Kapulungan sa Tejeros''), also referred to as the Tejeros Assembly or Tejeros Congress, was a meeting held on March 22, 1897, in San Francisco de Malabon (now General Tria ...

of March 22, 1897. As the Department of the Interior, it was among the first Cabinet positions of the proposed revolutionary Philippine government, wherein Gen.

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who became the first List of presidents of the Philippines, president of the Philippines (1899–1901), and the first pre ...

was elected president. The leader of

Katipunan The Katipunan (), officially known as the (; ) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, an ...

's Magdiwang faction,

Andres Bonifacio Andres or Andrés may refer to: * Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US * Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) Andres or Andrés is a male given name. It can also be a ...

, was originally elected director of the interior in the convention, but a controversial objection to his election led to the Magdiwang's walk-out and his refusal to accept the position. Gen. Pascual Alvarez would be appointed as secretary by Aguinaldo on April 17, 1897, during the Naic Assembly. The Department of the Interior was officially enshrined on November 1, 1897, upon the promulgation of the

Biak-na-Bato Republic The Republic of Biak-na-Bato () was the second revolutionary republican government led by Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine Revolution that referred to itself as the Republic of the Philippines () and was seated in what is now Biak-na-B ...

, with Isabelo Artacho as secretary. Article XV of the

Biak-na-Bato Constitution The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and rat ...

defined the powers and functions of the department that included statistics, roads and bridges, agriculture, public information and posts, and public order. Following the American occupation in 1901, the Department of the Interior was among the four departments created by virtue of

Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The First Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Pre ...

Act No. 222. Americans headed the department until 1917, when Rafael Palma was appointed by Governor-General Francis Harrison following the passage of the Jones Law. The Interior Department was tasked with various functions ranging from supervision over local units, forest conservation, public instructions, control and supervision over the police, counter-insurgency, rehabilitation, community development and cooperatives development programs. At the onset of World War II, President

Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1 ...

abolished the department via Executive Order 390. It was resurrected as part of the

Philippine Executive Commission The Philippine Executive Commission (PEC; Tagalog: ''Komisyong Tagapagpaganap ng Pilipinas'') was a pro-Axis government set up to govern the Philippine archipelago during World War II. It was established with sanction from the occupying Imp ...

in 1942 under the Japanese Occupation, but abolished once again the following year, upon the establishment of the

Second Philippine Republic The Second Philippine Republic, officially the Republic of the Philippines and also known as the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic, was a Japanese-Axis powers, backed government established on October 14, 1943, during the Japanese occupatio ...

. Its secretary before the abolition,

Jose P. Laurel José Paciano Laurel y García (March 9, 1891 – November 6, 1959) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, and judge, who served as the President of the Second Philippine Republic from 1943 to 1945, which was a Japanese ally during World War II. ...

, was elected Philippine president by the National Assembly. The department was reinstated by President

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; zh, c=吳文釗, poj=Gô͘ Bûn-chiau; September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961) was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, fourth president of the Ph ...

months after the country's liberation from Japanese forces in December 1944. It was then merged with the Department of National Defense in July 1945. President

Manuel Roxas Manuel Acuña Roxas (; January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of the Philippines from 1946 until his death in 1948. He served briefly as the third and last President of the ...

' Executive Order No. 94 in 1947 split the Department of National Defense and the Interior, and tasked the newly reorganized Interior Department to supervise the administration of the Philippine Constabulary and all local political subdivisions, among others. A 1950 reorganization via Executive Order No. 383 (in pursuance of Republic Act No. 422) abolished the Interior Department once again. Its functions were transferred to the Office of Local Government (later the Local Government and Civil Affairs Office) under the Office of the President. On January 6, 1956, under President

Ramon Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh President of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash, aircraft disast ...

, the Presidential Assistant on Community Development (PACD) office was created via Executive Order No. 156, with functions resembling that of the Interior Department sans supervision over the police force. It was renamed the Presidential Arm on Community Development in 1966. The department was restored on November 7, 1972, with the creation of the Department of Local Government and Community Development (DLGCD). The DLGCD was reorganized as a ministry in the parliamentary

Batasang Pambansa The Batasang Pambansa Complex, or simply the Batasan (), is the seat of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located along the Batasan Road in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The complex was initially the home of the Batasang Pa ...

in 1978, renamed the Ministry of Local Government in 1982, and became the Department of Local Government (DLG) in 1987. On December 13, 1990, Republic Act No. 6975 placed the

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police (PNP; ) is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a pop ...

, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Philippine Public Safety College under the reorganized Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The new DILG merged the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM), and all the bureaus, offices, and operating units of the former DLG under Executive Order No. 262. RA No. 6975 paved the way for the union of the local governments and the police force after nearly four decades of separation.

Powers and functions

On its website, the department provides it powers and functions as: * Assist the President in the exercise of general supervision over local governments * Advise the President in the promulgation of policies, rules, regulations and other issuances on the general supervision over local governments and on public order and safety * Establish and prescribe rules, regulations and other issuances implementing laws on public order and safety, the general supervision over local governments and the promotion of local autonomy and community empowerment and monitor compliance thereof * Provide assistance towards legislation regarding local governments, law enforcement and public safety; Establish and prescribe plans, policies, programs and projects to promote peace and order, ensure public safety and further strengthen the administrative, technical and fiscal capabilities of local government offices and personnel * Formulate plans, policies and programs which will meet local emergencies arising from natural and man-made disasters; Establish a system of coordination and cooperation among the citizenry, local executives and the Department, to ensure effective and efficient delivery of basic services to the public * Organize, train and equip primarily for the performance of police functions, a police force that is national in scope and civilian in character

List of secretaries of the interior and local government

Organizational structure

At present, the department is headed by the

, with the following undersecretaries and assistant secretaries: *Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs *Undersecretary for Local Government *Undersecretary for Mindanao Affairs and Special Concerns *Undersecretary for Operations *Undersecretary for Peace and Order *Undersecretary for External, Legal and Legislative Affairs *Undersecretary for Project Development Management *Undersecretary for Plans, Public Affairs and Communications *Undersecretary for Public Safety *Assistant Secretary for Administration, Finance and Comptrollership *Assistant Secretary for Community Participation *Assistant Secretary for Human Resources Development *Assistant Secretary for International Relations *Assistant Secretary for Peace and Order *Assistant Secretary for Plans and Programs *Assistant Secretary for Public Safety Under the Office of the Secretary are the following offices and services: * Administrative Service *Central Office Disaster Information Coordinating Center (CODIX) *Emergency 911 National Office *Financial and Management Service * Information Systems and Technology Management Service * Internal Audit Service * Legal and Legislative Liaison Service * Planning Service *Public Affairs and Communication Service * Public Assistance and Complaint Center * Local Government Academy A regional director is assigned to each of the 18

regions of the Philippines In the Philippines, regions (; ISO 3166-2:PH) are Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative divisions that primarily serve to coordinate planning and organize national government services across multiple Local government in t ...

. A DILG Officer is assigned to every Province, Municipality, City, and Barangay.

Bureaus

The DILG is composed of four bureaus, namely: * Bureau of Local Government Development (BLGD) * Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS) * National Barangay Operations Office (NBOO) * Office of Project Development Services (OPDS)

Leagues

Recognized Leagues under the DILG: *Barangay Councilors' League of the Philippines *Lady Local Legislators' League of the Philippines * League of Cities of the Philippines * League of Municipalities of the Philippines *

League of Provinces of the Philippines The League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), also referred to as the League of Provinces, is an organization composed of governors of the provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from ...

*League of Vice Governors of the Philippines * Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas/Association of Barangay Captains *Metro Manila Councilors' League *National Movement of Young Legislators *

Philippine Councilors' League The Philippine Councilors League (PCL; ) is an official organization in the Philippines composed of all elected, appointed, and ''ex officio'' members of legislative councils in the cities and municipalities of the country. The presidents of ...

*Provincial Board Members' League of the Philippines *

Sangguniang Kabataan A Sangguniang Kabataan (abbreviated as SK; ) is a community council that represents the youth in a barangay in the Philippines. Established to provide young people with a platform for civic engagement and participation in Local government in ...

National Federation * Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines *Vice Mayors' League of the Philippines *Philippine League of Secretaries to the Sanggunian

Attached agencies

The following are attached to the DILG: *

Bureau of Fire Protection The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP; ) is the government body in the Philippines responsible for firefighting services. It is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. Functions and duties The BFP is respons ...

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP; ) is an attached agency of the Department of the Interior and Local Government mandated to direct, supervise and control the administration and operation of all district, city and municipal jai ...

* Local Government Academy *

National Commission on Muslim Filipinos National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

* National Police Commission * National Youth Commission * Philippine Commission on Women *

* Philippine Public Safety College

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Department Of The Interior And Local Government (Philippines)

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Law enforcement in the Philippines Philippines, Interior and Local Government Interior and Local Government