What is a transition government and why are local government units encouraged to form one?
The Department of Interior and Local Government has encouraged all local chief executives — governors, and mayors — to organize the Local Governance Transition Team not later than 7 April 2022 for effective turnover of responsibilities before the May polls.
DILG Sec. Eduardo M. Año, in the official local and interior government website, said that “all LGU assets, records and documents, among others, must be turned over transparently and efficiently to a new set of elected local officials”.
This to ensure a smooth flow of operations from old to new, and to continue existing programs, especially in cases where the incumbent has not been re-elected and a new official is taking their place.
“Public service must not be hampered amid a possible transition of leadership in the LGUs,” Año said as he reminded local chief executives for an early formation of the LGTT.
The LGTT will be composed of the local chief executive as the chairperson.
Members of the transition team are LGU department heads, DILG representatives such as DILG Provincial Director in case of a provincial government, DILG City Director in case of city government, or DILG Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (LGOO) in case of municipal government; and, the secretary of the local Sanggunian.
There should also be one representative from a civil society organization or people’s organization. The vice-chairperson, he added, will be elected among the members.
Año, quoting DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2022-029, said that LGTT must come up with an inventory of LGU properties from immovable one like land and infrastructure, to movable ones like vehicles and all kinds of equipment.
This is to ensure the safekeeping of LGU records and documents as well as the protection of LGU assets during the election period.
The transition team must also “gather, secure, and preserve all official documents and/or records of LGU official transactions; and, turnover accountabilities using the prescribed forms, in case of a new set of incoming elected officials, and update the list of accountabilities, in case of re-elected officials”.
The transition teams must also secure important documents like the 2021 Governance Assessment Report; Contracts and Loans Agreement; Comprehensive Development Plan; 2022 Annual Investment Program; Comprehensive Land Use Plan; Public Service Continuity Plan; LGU’s Citizens Charter; and, various Full Disclosure Policy documents.
“Along with the other LGU documents, the LGTTs are expected to ensure that the all-important LGU Devolution Transition Plan, in line with the implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia Supreme Court ruling and Executive Order No. 138, will be forwarded to the new set of local officials,” Año said.
All these assets, documents, and inventory must be officially turned over through a formal rites to the incoming officials, including a briefing on the Governance Assessment Report and key challenges, to on June 30, 2022.
The accomplishment of the Elective Local Official Personal Data Sheet by the incoming officials to be submitted not later than July 11, 2022 to their Human Resources Management Office, Office of the Sanggunian, and to the DILG Field Office.
